LaMelo is one of the NBA’s brightest talents, a player that excels in multiple aspects of the game and plays fearlessly. Since he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, LaMelo has made several highlight-reel plays and a large part of that is down to how fearless he is on the court.
Melo is a part of the Ball family, being groomed for the league from a young age alongside his brothers Lonzo and LiAngelo by their father LaVar Ball. LaVar has received plenty of criticism for overhyping his sons with his antics but considering that two of them are now stars in the NBA, it’s clear that he has done something right.
Speaking about his father’s influence on his fearless style of play and his ability to never let the nerves get the better of him, LaMelo revealed the piece of advice that has been so significant in making him the player he is today (via Statline).
Interviewer: “Do you ever get nervous?”
LaMelo Ball: Nah, I ain’t gonna lie, my pops, the way he had me, you can’t get nervous in basketball. He said nervous is when you ain’t got nowhere to go, somebody got a gun to your head or you ain’t had no food. You know, that’s nervous. So it’s playing basketball, coming out here, nah. Never nervous.”
Playing in just his second season in the NBA, LaMelo has been averaging 19 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. Charlotte is the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, sitting just half a game outside the automatic playoff spots. Melo’s team has won 7 out of their last 8 games, and the youngster has scored more than 20 points twice during that stretch. If they can continue their upward trajectory, Ball could be on his way to making some noise in the NBA playoffs this season.
