Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball said he's happy to have ended up in an organization led by NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Ball, the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, told Joe Vardon of The Athletic in an interview released Wednesday he refers to MJ, the team's governor, as "unc," and he believes the stars aligned perfectly for him to land in Charlotte.

"I feel like everything lines up," he said. "I feel like I came here for a reason, he's the owner for a reason, just everything lined up for real."

Ball put together a solid rookie season for the Hornets despite an unsettled role during the early stages of the 2020-21 season. He averaged 15.7 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 threes and 1.6 steals across 51 appearances (31 starts).

The 20-year-old California native ranked fourth among NBA point guards in offensive Real Plus-Minus, but he struggled defensively, which dropped him to 27th overall at the position, per ESPN.

He'll once again play a key role for Charlotte this season alongside Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr., Miles Bridges, PJ Washington and 2021 first-round pick James Bouknight.

Ball told Vardon he's got a "mentality" similar to players from Jordan's era, who more frequently tried to build within one organization and create longstanding rivalries with other top players rather than trying to join a super team to chase a championship.

"You supposed to just go to a team and build from there—I feel like that's how it should be," he said. "Especially when you like a high pick too, most likely going to a team that wasn't as good, so you try to make them better. I feel like that's the whole process right there."

The Hornets likely aren't quite ready to compete for a title at this stage, but they've put enough pieces together to at least start their climb up the Eastern Conference standings.

Ball possesses tremendous offensive skill and could push toward an All-Star Game selection, but the type of progress he can make defensively will play a key role in exactly how much progress Charlotte makes this season.

The Hornets open the regular season Wednesday night when they host the Indiana Pacers.

The Charlotte Hornets waived shooting guard LiAngelo Ball on Friday, according to Arash Markazi of The Mightier 1090.

It was an expected move, as the Hornets are reportedly planning to sign Ball to their G League team, the Greensboro Swarm, in short order.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported Thursday that the Hornets signed Ball to a nonguaranteed contract with the intention of waiving him and moving him to the G League.

In five games as a member of the Hornets' Las Vegas Summer League team, Ball impressed with 9.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals in just 17.4 minutes per contest.

The 22-year-old Ball's younger brother, LaMelo Ball, is the Hornets' star player, while his older brother, Lonzo Ball, plays for the Chicago Bulls after previous stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans.

LiAngelo enrolled to play college basketball at UCLA, but he never played a regular-season game for the Bruins, as he was suspended in November 2017 for allegedly shoplifting during a team trip in China.

Ball withdrew from UCLA shortly thereafter and went on to spend time playing for Prienai in the Lithuanian Basketball League and the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association.

While LiAngelo isn't considered to be as talented as LaMelo or Lonzo, he has a chance to carve out a solid career for himself.

In addition to being able to shoot the ball from long range, LiAngelo is a quality defender. Three-and-D players are in high demand in the NBA, meaning he may have a future in the league.

First, Ball will attempt to prove himself at the G League level in 2021-22, which represents his best chance to get on the NBA radar yet.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is receiving rave reviews after winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award last season.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated spoke to several anonymous NBA scouts, and one of them referred to Ball as a "star."

The scout then added: "He's Jason Kidd, with a better jump shot. He's among the best passers in the NBA already."

The Kidd comparison is significant since he is a Basketball Hall of Famer and widely considered one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.

The scout also lauded Ball for his leadership, referencing how poorly the Hornets played without him when he missed over a month of action last season with a fractured bone in his wrist.

Charlotte was a playoff team when Ball got injured, but it went just 10-11 while he was out and had to settle for a spot in the postseason play-in game, which it lost to the Indiana Pacers.

Ball was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, but there were some questions regarding how he would transition to the NBA after skipping college and playing professionally overseas instead.

LaMelo was also working against some preconceived notions since his brother, Lonzo Ball, has yet to live up to his status as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

It quickly became apparent that LaMelo was a different player, however, and he went on to enjoy an excellent debut season.

In 51 games, Ball averaged 15.7 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 three-pointers made and 1.6 steals, all while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Kidd was Rookie of the Year as well in 1994-95 with the Dallas Mavericks, but he wasn't as productive as Ball, averaging 11.7 points, 7.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting only 38.5 percent from the floor and 27.2 percent from deep.

For his career, Kidd averaged just 12.6 points and 1.4 three-pointers made per game, plus he shot only 40.0 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from three-point range.

Ball may already be a better and more efficient scorer than Kidd, but he still has some developing to do in other areas, as he averaged 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game in his career.

Kidd was also a 10-time All-Star, nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection and five-time assist champion, plus he won an NBA title with the Mavs in 2011.

Ball still has plenty of growing left to do, but he is in a great spot at just 20 years of age and has a chance to vie for an All-Star selection as soon as the 2021-22 season.

The Charlotte Hornets and LiAngelo Ball agreed Thursday to a non-guaranteed contract.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Ball will start the 2021-22 season with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte's affiliate in the NBA G League. Charania reported Monday that the 22-year-old was originally planning to sign a G League deal ahead of the league's Oct. 23 draft.

Ball played for the Hornets' NBA Summer League team and averaged 9.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in five games. HIs best performance came in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, when he made five three-pointers and scored 16 points.

NBA insider Jordan Schultz reported in August that team officials were encouraged by what they saw from the 22-year-old:

Head coach James Borrego told reporters during the Hornets' media day that Ball "performed well and opened eyes and played at a higher level than I expected."

That wasn't enough for him to crack the their training camp roster, though.

Ball hasn't had the chance to play in the G League yet. The Oklahoma City Blue acquired his rights in March 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic paused and eventually canceled the remainder of the 2019-20 G League season.

Suiting up for the Swarm provides the California native with his clearest path to earning an NBA roster spot. Even if he's unable to team up with his younger brother LaMelo on the Hornets, he could perform well enough for another franchise to give him a shot.

Puma released the first look at LaMelo Ball's signature MB.01 shoe Tuesday, along with setting a December 2021 release date.

The MB.01s are Puma's first signature shoe since relaunching its basketball brand in 2018. 

“PUMA makes me feel like I am truly part of the fam, incorporating my fresh ideas when it comes to style. I enjoyed being a part of the MB.01 design process, sharing input from bright color choices to the addition of personal details like the rocket flames that match my ankle tattoo," Ball said of the shoe.

The design of the shoe includes the aforementioned rocket flames down the ankle collar, along with the phrase “Not From Here” on the tongue. Puma also included the word "rare," which it says describes Ball's talent on the floor.

The youngest of LaVar Ball's three sons, LaMelo earned Rookie of the Year honors with averages of 15.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds. 

Count Michael Jordan among those who believe NBA players should do their part to end the COVID-19 pandemic by getting vaccinated.

The NBA legend discussed the league's COVID-19 protocols during a Monday interview with Craig Melvin on NBC's Today (h/t Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports) and said he believes in the science and what the league is doing with the season approaching:

"I am total in unison with the league. And I think everybody, you know, has been speaking about the vaccinations. And, you know, I'm a firm believer in science and, you know, I'm going to stick with that and hopefully everybody abides by whatever the league sets the rules. I think once everybody buys in, we're going to be fine."

Whether players are vaccinated has been a major offseason talking point.

While the league required its officials and most staff members to be vaccinated, Adrian Wojnarowski and Baxter Holmes reported the NBA Players Association called such a requirement a "non-starter" when the two sides were negotiating health and safety protocols.

Although the league does not require vaccines for players, local laws are another issue.

Local mandates for the Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks mean players who are not vaccinated cannot play in home games.

What's more, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported unvaccinated players who violate Canada's Quarantine Act could face up to six months in prison and $750,000 in fines during road games against the Toronto Raptors.

Andrew Wiggins and Kyrie Irving are the two most notable names to come under scrutiny regarding local mandates. 

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters Wiggins was eventually vaccinated, but Nets head coach Steve Nash said that may not be the case for Irving.

"I think we recognize he's not playing home games," Nash said. "We're going to have to for sure play without him this year. So it just depends on when, where and how much."

Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier suffered a sprained left ankle that will cause him to miss at least Monday's preseason game against the Miami Heat, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.

He is expected to be reevaluated later in the week.

Rozier had played 24 minutes in the team's previous exhibition against the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring 21 points with five assists. 

The 27-year-old missed time with a hip injury and right ankle sprain last season but has played 63 or more games in each of the previous five campaigns.

Rozier averaged a career-best 20.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game last season, which was his second year with the Hornets. 

The Louisville product is someone who can attack the basket off the bounce or stretch the defense with his outside shot. He can carry the offense for extended stretches and is a primary reason there were playoff hopes for the Hornets entering the season.

Look for Charlotte to turn toward the combination of LaMelo Ball and Ish Smith in the backcourt until Rozier is ready to return.

Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball has launched a college scholarship program. 

Per TMZ Sports, Ball will reward one four-year scholarship to Long Island University's Roc Nation School of Music, Sports and Entertainment for the 2021-22 academic year to a sports management or communication/marketing major. 

In order to qualify for the scholarship, interested students must have scored at least 1,100 on the SAT or 22 on the ACT and fill out an essay about where they see themselves in 10 years and how the LaMelo Scholarship can help them achieve that goal. 

I want to encourage the next generation of sports executives and leaders to follow their dreams just like I did to make it to the NBA.

I'm fortunate to have the means and public platform to support others, so I want to do my part and create a lane for a student to get a strong education and be in position to make a meaningful impact in the sports industry.

Ball famously decided to skip college altogether in order to get an early start on his professional basketball career. The California native spent time in the Lithuanian Basketball League, Junior Basketball Association and National Basketball League in Australia before entering the 2020 NBA draft. 

The Hornets selected Ball with the No. 3 overall pick. He had a terrific debut season, averaging 15.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game in 51 appearances to win the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year award. 

Michael Jordan memorabilia has been in high demand over the past couple of years, but one fan took it to a new level by purchasing the superstar's used underwear.

Someone purchased a pair of Jordan's underwear Saturday night for $3,340.80 at Lelands Auction (h/t TMZ Sports). There were incredibly 19 bids for the boxers, which started at $500.

TMZ Sports previously reported the pair "shows definite use," which thankfully only means there was loose threading.

The item came from bodyguard John Michael Wozniak of The Last Dance fame, who was also in possession other (and less disturbing) Jordan-worn items—including suits, ties and jackets—that were added to the auction block last month.

The lucky winner of the underwear does at least have a trump card the next time someone brings out their game-worn shoes.

As he enters the final year of his contract, Jeremy Lamb is still a member of the Indiana Pacers. However, that might not remain the case for the entirety of the 2021-22 NBA season.

The Indianapolis Star's J. Michael reported the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets are showing interest in the 6'5" guard.

Michael reported on Aug. 1 that the Pacers were looking to move Lamb in part because he has fallen down the rotation a bit. Caris LeVert figures to start at shooting guard, and Indiana used the 13th overall pick on Oregon star Chris Duarte.

Dealing the 29-year-old now might be difficult, though. He was limited to 36 games last year and missed the final month due to a knee injury. He also tore his left ACL and meniscus in February 2020.

Trade suitors might be a bit wary of giving up too much for Lamb until they see him on the court this fall.

Although the Pacers seemed to have soured on him a bit, Lamb is averaging 10.4 points on 44.4 percent shooting through nine seasons. He also shot 40.6 percent from beyond the arc in 2020-21, well above his career average (34.4 percent).

If that carries over into the upcoming campaign, Lamb would be a good fit for the Lakers. Spacing the floor is shaping up to be a challenge for Los Angeles with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook all playing prominent roles.

The Hornets used their first-round pick on Connecticut star James Bouknight, and they just handed Terry Rozier a four-year, $97 million extension. Although Lamb's fit in Charlotte would be a little less seamless than in L.A., his arrival would allow Rozier to spell LaMelo Ball at the point more often.

He also played for one season under Hornets head coach James Borrego, which should help ease the transition.