Last month, a Charlotte Hornets fan bumped into Michael Jordan while waiting to snap a picture with LaMelo Ball. As MJ recognized the waiting fan, he promptly told the owner of the Hornets and the greatest player of all time that he hadn’t been waiting for him, but was actually waiting for MJ’s franchise point guard, LaMelo Ball.
While the fan did end up asking MJ for a picture, a visibly stunned and confused Jordan declined the request. The clip went viral as we’ve never really seen a fan cold shoulder MJ in favor of a young star like that. That was a massive move and seems like it paid off.
The fan finally met LaMelo and got the picture he coveted so much. Jordan wasn’t around this photoshoot and with good reason, as the Hornets owner probably wouldn’t have liked being bested by his young point guard in the hearts of fans.
He finally got to meet LaMelo after MJ denied him a month ago 😂
(via playyboishi, steve4pf_, mic4pf/IG) https://t.co/5y9RQ1Ya0j
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 21, 2022
This instance should open the eyes of many traditional basketball fans to how fandom in the sport is changing. Even though Jordan is the GOAT, in the new social media era, players like LaMelo generate massive fanbases that would love to get a picture to post on their social media.
In 90% of the places Jordan and Ball go, MJ will be the star everyone wants to meet. This instance shows the other 10% where Ball might just be more popular than MJ. That isn’t a testament to skill but a testament to how LaMelo has marketed himself at such a young age.
The Hornets will look to start winning this season, so Ball can match draft class-mates like Anthony Edwards in the playoffs and Jordan can finally say he has built a competitive team in Charlotte, something that hasn’t happened even once since MJ became the owner of the franchise.
