LaMelo Ball has had a monster season for the Charlotte Hornets this 2024/25 season, he averages the fourth most points in the league(29.7 PPG) and leads his team in assists at 7.4 per game. He’s been all that he promised for Charlotte but despite his heroic efforts….
The Hornets still suck.
Year after year, they still suck.
Mediocracy is Usual
Since LaMelo Ball was drafted, the Hornets have had one season with a winning record. That was his rookie year where they went 43-39 in 2021 but still didn’t make the playoffs. In fact, they have only had four seasons with winning records in the past 20 years- and not good winning records either. Most of those years they barely finished above .500.
To add insult to injury, they’ve only made the playoffs three times since 2001, losing in the first round each time. It’s been a long, long time since Hornet fans have had something to rally around. Drafting Ball in 2020 was the most excitement the organization had seen in years- since the legend Kemba Walker was shooting the rock for them.
Charlotte has NEVER touched a conference championship and have only made it out of the first round four times, EVER.
Even before LaMelo was born the Hornets have had a contemptuous history with the NBA. They’ve gone through two expansion periods which is not a recipe for success and normally is caused by a lack of interest in the ball club. From the Charlotte Hornets in 2002- then moving to New Orleans as the Bobcats- then being revitalized as the Charlotte Hornets two years later, this team has gone through the ringer again and again.
What Should LaMelo Do?
Somehow, LaMelo Ball has stated that he still believes in the Hornet’s organization and that he wants to stay in Charlotte. Maybe this can be attributed to his massive contract that was negotiated in July of the 2023 offseason.
Ball was signed, post rookie deal, for five years at $260 million. This extension was the largest signing by the Hornets in the history of their organization and rightfully so. The former All-Star and Rookie of the Year will make on average just under 41 million a year which is hard not to smile about if you’re Ball.
At the same time, the losing streak of the Charlotte Hornets is hard not to frown about. Does LaMelo care more about getting paid or winning a championship? As long as he’s playing good basketball, both sides of the argument are valid.
In an interview with Associated Press after signing his rookie-max contract in 2023, Ball spoke about the lack of winning and being content with it.
“Life isn’t bad. The basketball aspect, if that’s not really going well, then you want to just live your life and have fun. You want to be living well, and in Charlotte I’m doing that. It all just felt like a great choice.”
However, the public wants to see Ball succeed on the court. Former players such as Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams have spoke out about the situation and would like to see LaMelo somewhere else.
On William’s and Parson’s podcast, Run It Back, Parsons spoke on Ball saying,
“I want him to do this on a bigger stage. I want to see him do this on a relevant team. I want to see him in a big market. I see these rumors of him, the Clippers want him as an extra guard. That makes me excited because I want to see more of those highlights.”
Putting LaMelo on a bigger market team might be the best choice for Ball, even if his priorities are making the biggest paycheck possible. Bigger markets lead to more national recognition which leads to more money.
If he keeps playing at such a high-level and the Hornets keep sucking(like they always do), we could see a trade request from Ball in the years to come. It will be interesting to see how his career pans out if so.
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