Charlotte Hornets All-Star LaMelo Ball is nothing if not unconventional. Having grown up in the spotlight as a teenager as his elder brother Lonzo ascended to the NBA, Ball is no stranger to scrutiny.
However, Ball might face a whole new round of ire directed his way in light of a recently surfaced revelation about his meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the 2020 NBA Draft.
LaMelo Ball’s Deal-Breaking Confession to Minnesota Timberwolves Before 2020 NBA Draft
As was reported by HoopsHype, Timberwolves beat reporter Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic joined The Zach Lowe Show live from Minneapolis for some NBA talk. Nobody could’ve anticipated the bombshell he was about to drop.
There was little doubt all along that Anthony Edwards was going to be the No. 1 overall pick. However, LaMelo Ball was in the conversation — until he wasn’t, that is. Without furhter ado, here’s what Krawczynski revealed about Ball’s very strange aspiration that confirmed the Wolves’ conviction in Edwards.
“We know they picked Edwards. But that’s not my little nugget for you all. It’s why they picked Edwards,” Krawczynski said. “There were a million different reasons in their evaluation. But one of them was that they had an interview with LaMelo Ball during this process — trying to figure out, ‘Hey, is this the guy for us?’ And LaMelo…did not interview very well.
“One of the questions they asked him was: ‘Hey LaMelo, after you’re done playing, what do you see yourself doing? What kind of things do you aspire to?’ And LaMelo said, ‘I want to be President of the United States.'”
First of all, it’s not a tremendous surprise that LaMelo didn’t interview well. His shot selection alone is that of a young man with borderline delusional self-confidence. Nevertheless, there’s no denying LaMelo’s talent and high ceiling. He’s been sabotaged by a lackluster Hornets organization and a myriad of injuries through five-plus NBA seasons, where he’s averaged 21 points, six rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
In all seriousness, though, these were the likely-unserious words of a teenager while he was interviewing with a team that was never going to draft him in the first place. At least from my vantage point, it’s hard to take this LaMelo anecdote without a pinch of salt.
Speaking of seriousness — why so serious? — Some NBA scouts to this day swear that LaMelo doesn’t take basketball seriously enough. This wild Wolves nugget from Krawczynski won’t exactly help LaMelo beat those allegations.
Before he sets his sights on the Oval Office, LaMelo Ball should focus on getting healthy for what are hopefully his best days on the hardwood ahead. Bringing a championship to the Hornets would also go a long way in helping his brand and prospective political candidacy.
As for the Timberwolves, they made the right decision by picking Anthony Edwards. Regardless of LaMelo Ball’s enthusiasm for holding political office or whatever else he said in interview settings, Edwards-over-Ball wasn’t that tough of a scouting evaluation or personnel decision to begin with.
