Wednesday night, the Charlotte Hornets, whose majority owner is former NBA superstar Michael Jordan, drafted LaMelo Ball at No. 3 overall. Of course, everyone is bringing up the back-and-forth Jordan had with LaMelo’s father LaVar a few years back.
Back in 2017, during the height of LaVar Ball’s unfortunate media tour, the elder Ball suggested that he’d have no trouble beating Jordan in a one-on-one game. Jordan eventually responded, suggesting Ball wouldn’t win if Jordan only had one leg.
Here’s the quote, via Bleacher Report:
“You got to understand the source. I think he played college, maybe? He averaged 2.2 points a game. Really? It doesn’t deserve a response, but I’ma give it to you because you asked the question,” Jordan said. “I don’t think he could beat me if I was one-legged.”
While Ball appears to have been a decent athlete growing up, he’s obviously no match for (arguably) the greatest player in NBA history – even with one leg.
Charlotte’s decision to draft LaMelo is an interesting one, but there’s no doubt the team needs to take a chance on a potential star. Perhaps Jordan can inspire LaMelo to play more like him and less like his father.
LaMelo is the second Ball brother to go in the top three of the NBA Draft. The Los Angeles Lakers took Lonzo Ball at No. 2 overall back in 2017.
The NBA Draft is currently taking place live on ESPN. The season is set to start a little over a month from now.
