LaMelo Ball is one of the most exciting players in the NBA today, and many have called for him to leave the Charlotte Hornets and play in a bigger market. In his exit interview following another disappointing season for the Hornets, Ball was asked about people wanting him to go elsewhere, and he isn’t interested in moving.
“I know what I can do, and just being here, I love it,” Ball said. “I mean, the fans is amazing, just the living situation has been amazing. Everything has been solid, so all that you need to leave and this and that, I mean, when you build something, it’s never just gonna pop off and be the best thing. You gotta stay there, work it out, and do what you gotta do. See what happens if you’re going to try to make it work.
Ball also stated he isn’t really bothered by people repeatedly telling him to leave.
“I’m bothered if I don’t eat,” Ball stated. “… Dog pisses on the floor or something, that s*** will bother me. Little stuff like that, but telling me to go somewhere or do this, nah.”
That’s good news for Hornets fans. Not many would be too hard on Ball if he did express a desire to leave, as this franchise hasn’t tasted any sort of success in a very long time.
The Hornets have failed to make the playoffs in each of the last nine seasons. The last time they even won a playoff series was all the way back in 2002.
This 2024-25 season was one of the worst in franchise history, too, as the Hornets finished 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 19-63 record. The 19 wins were tied for the third fewest ever in a single campaign for Charlotte.
While the Hornets’ failures over the years can be attributed to the team simply not being good enough, there was an excuse for them crashing and burning this time around. To say the injury bug struck might be an understatement.
Ball played just 47 games in 2024-25, while Brandon Miller was ruled out for the season back in January due to a wrist injury after playing just 27 games. A month before that, Grant Williams tore his ACL after featuring just 16 times.
The Hornets’ leader for games played this season was Moussa Diabate with 71. Everyone missed time here and there, and you wonder what their record would have been if not for the injuries.
Hornets Head Coach Wants LaMelo Ball To Get Stronger This Offseason
While the Hornets were unfortunate in terms of injuries, Ball, in particular, missing a lot of games has become the norm now. The one-time All-Star has played only 231 games in five seasons, and head coach Charles Lee spoke about what he wants the guard to do this offseason in his exit interview.
“No. 1 is just continued body maintenance and improvements,” Lee said. “Getting stronger, being able to not wear down. I think teams are trying to be more physical with him… Teams are trying to deny him, they’re trying to be physical, and you can see early in the year when teams did it, it definitely bothered him.”
Lee felt Ball got more comfortable as the season went on, but wants him to be in top shape from the get-go next season. The 23-year-old averaged 25.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Hornets in 2024-25. If Ball stays healthy in 2025-26 and replicates this production, the team might come close to finally ending this long playoff drought.
