Mar 20, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) talks with head coach Charles Lee during a free throw during the second half against the New York Knicks at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Can LaMelo Ball avoid Lonzo’s injury curse? The Hornets' future may depend on it

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Thomas Gorski | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 8:43 AM ET

The Charlotte Hornets are in a tough spot with LaMelo Ball. His talent isn’t the issue — he’s the kind of player who can flip a game in an instant — but he just can’t stay on the court, and that’s held the team back.

Since 2020, LaMelo’s been on the floor for 231 games and missed 169. With numbers like that, it’s tough for the Hornets to find any sense of rhythm. Just when it feels like the franchise is starting to roll, he gets hurt again, and it’s back to square one.

The situation is hard to separate from the story of his older brother. Lonzo Ball’s career, once full of promise, was derailed by injuries that shifted him from centerpiece to question mark.

A serious knee injury in 2022 cost him two full seasons and left him bouncing from team to team — from the Lakers to the Pelicans, then the Bulls, and now the Cavaliers. What was once viewed as steady progress turned into a career defined by setbacks.

That’s the scenario Charlotte desperately wants to avoid. LaMelo brings more offensive firepower than his brother, but the warning signs are similar.

The Hornets committed to him with a rookie max extension, but if he continues to miss significant time, they run the risk of anchoring their future to a player who isn’t reliably available — the same mistake Chicago made with Lonzo.

When LaMelo’s on the court, he’s exactly what Charlotte needs—fun, creative, and able to lead the team. But it only matters if he’s playing.

Availability, more than highlight plays, is what builds winning teams.

For LaMelo, the challenge isn’t just rehabbing each injury — it’s learning how to protect his body over the grind of an 82-game season. If he adapts, Charlotte has a star it can trust as the centerpiece of its rebuild.

That means changing his approach, leaning on the right training staff, and realizing that long-term durability is just as important as nightly production. The window for Charlotte to finally move forward is open, but it depends on LaMelo being the one to walk through it.

If not, the Ball brothers’ careers may stand together as one of the clearest reminders of how injuries can shape — and limit — a legacy.