LaMelo Ball’s Ambition to Become President

In a recent pre-draft interview, LaMelo Ball, the point guard for the Hornets, expressed a rather ambitious goal: he wants to become president of the United States after his NBA career. This insight was reported by The Athletic.

Ball was picked third overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, following Anthony Edwards at first and James Wiseman at second.

During a podcast appearance, John Kraczynski discussed how the Timberwolves evaluated their draft choices. He noted that, while they selected Edwards, they were assessing Ball during this process. However, it seems that Ball’s interview left something to be desired.

In the interview, one question aimed at him was about his future plans after basketball. LaMelo’s response? He stated, “I want to be president of the United States.”

This statement seemed to cause some uncertainty among the Timberwolves; they were unsure if he was being serious or just joking. Ultimately, they opted for Edwards, who had an impressive season with an average of 27.6 points per game, helping the team reach back-to-back Western Conference Finals.

LaMelo, who is the younger sibling of Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball, won the Rookie of the Year award in the 2020-21 season, averaging 15.7 points and 6.1 assists across 51 games. His only All-Star appearance came the following year, but injuries have since limited his playtime, as he participated in just 105 of the 246 games for Charlotte in the past three seasons.

As it stands, the Hornets have struggled since the start of the 2022-23 season, holding a winning percentage of just .275 with 71 wins against 187 losses.