LaMelo Ball: 3 facts you never knew about the Hornets point guard

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Derick Quinanola | Last updated Jun 20, 2024 10:30 AM ET

LaMelo Ball has been a household name to basketball fans ever since he was in high school. While fans are well-acquainted with his vibrant personality, there are still some lesser-known facts about Ball that not a lot of people know about. Read on below to learn three of them:

LaMelo Ball hates eating vegetables

As a professional athlete, veggies should be at the forefront of a healthy diet to maintain peak physical condition. For Ball, he can’t stand the thought of chewing the leafy greens. However, he does his best to eat them when he can. Instead of chewing them, he simply swallows them whole. This unconventional approach might raise some eyebrows, but we’re sure the Hornets’ team trainers won’t mind.

Interestingly, of all the vegetables around, Ball does have an exemption for one… He doesn’t mind eating broccoli. In past interviews, he’s mentioned that while he can’t stand most vegetables, broccoli is the one veggie he can tolerate.

LaMelo Ball went scoreless in his first professional game

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball practices before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Before he was selected by the Hornets with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Ball had to enter professional basketball at a young age. His first taste of professional action came in January 2018, when he played for BC Prienai in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) where he was teammates with his older brother, LiAngelo Ball. This was a significant move for the then-16-year-old who was playing against players twice his age and size. To nobody’s surprise, Ball’s first game was far from a spectacular performance.

In his first game with his new team, Ball only played five minutes and went scoreless. Despite the rough start, Ball used the experience as a learning opportunity that he would carry with him when he played in his dad’s Junior Basketball Association (JBA), the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL, and then the NBA.

LaMelo Ball owns a basketball team

Being a celebrity at a young age has its perks, and Ball reaped the rewards even before he turned 20 years old. Aside from the money he has earned playing professional basketball since he was 16, Ball had over 5 million Instagram followers in 2020, and also got a paycheck from starring in their reality show “Ball in The Family.”

With the money he made, Ball bought an ownership stake in the Illawarra Hawks (the last team he played for before playing in the NBA).

Details of the purchase were ever revealed, but as per SB Nation, NBL teams go for $5-10 million. And while that may seem like a lot of money, it’s a small price to pay for one of the future stars of the next generation in the NBA.