LaMelo Ball an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The Charlotte Hornets star, LaMelo Ball, comes from a solid athletic lineage, with his father being a former football tight end and two brothers playing in the NBA.
Albeit the Hornets have struggled, LaMelo has only gotten better. He averaged a career-best 23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 8.4 assists this season.
He played just 36 games this season, battling numerous left ankle injuries and ultimately season-ending surgery for a fractured right ankle.
Aside from being a phenomenal basketball player, LaMelo has been engaged in a bunch of different endeavors, including his family’s Facebook Watch reality show Ball in the Family.
Facts About LaMelo Ball
| Full Name | LaMelo LaFrance Ball |
| Known As | LaMelo Ball |
| Nickname | The Entertainer |
| Birthdate | August 22, 2001 |
| Age | 21 Years Old |
| Birthplace | Anaheim, California, United States |
| Current Residence | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Father | LaVar Christopher Ball |
| Mother | Tina Ball |
| Siblings | Lonzo Ball, & LiAngelo Ball |
| Nationality | American |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Relationship Status | Dating |
| Girlfriend | Ana Montana |
| Built | Athletic |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in/198 cm/1.98 m |
| Weight | 76 kg/167.5 lbs |
| Distinctive Feature | Afro Hair, Towering Height |
| Ethnicity | Multiracial (African American & Czech) |
| Horoscope | Leo |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Profession | Professional Basketball Player |
| Education | Chino Hills High School |
| Association | Charlotte Hornets |
| Manager | Harrison Gaines |
| Position | Shooting Guard, Point Guard |
| Shirt Number | 1 |
| Net Worth | $20 Million |
| Salary | $8.89 Million |
| Favorite Food | Lithuanian Food – Tango Pizza, Ice Cream, and Skittles |
| Favorite Player | Kevin Durant And Stephen Curry |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Last Update | April 2023 |
Early Life And Education
Born on August 22, 2001, to LaVar and Tina Ball in Anaheim, California, United States, LaMelo attended Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, California. Both his parents played sports in college.
His father, LaVar, later pursued football professionally but went undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft. He still managed to be a part of NFL teams, the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, but in the practice squad.
LaMelo grew up with his two older brothers, both of whom play professional basketball.
The oldest Ball, Lonzo, currently plays for the Chicago Bulls, while the middle child LiAngelo is the shooting guard for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League.
The media has scrutinized the three brothers ever since they played together in high school.
Beginning his career at Chino Hills, he won a state championship and achieved success as a freshman along with his older brothers LiAngelo and Lonzo.
LaVar trained all three of his sons to hoop. LaMelo began passing and scoring with his brothers at the age of four, facing much older opponents.
So with supportive background, LaMelo’s career has been uphill ever since he put his foot down the court.
College
At age 13, LaMelo verbally committed to play collegiate basketball for UCLA before even starting high school.
Washington State and Virginia also recruited him, but he stated that UCLA was his dream school.
LaMelo developed as a top recruit in the Class of 2019 during his sophomore year.
When he returned in 2018 after a brief professional stint, he remained a five-star recruit.
Career
LaMelo, signed with the Lithuanian Basketball League’s Prienai along with his brother on December 11, 2017, becoming the youngest American ever to sign a professional basketball contract.
His this pursuit was heavily covered by the American media.
After several highs and lows with the team, Ball left Perenia with his family on April 25, 2018.
The following year he signed with the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association, a now-defunct league created by his father, LaVar, as an alternative to college basketball.
Touted by the league as its “marquee player,” LaMelo, left JBA to return to high school for his senior season.
After high school, he signed a two-year deal with the Australian-based NBL’s Illawarra Hawks on June 17, 2019.
The top of his class, projected as the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Ball was selected third by the Hornets.
Season Ending Injury
LaMelo Ball changed his jersey from number 2 to 1 ahead of the 2022-23 season.
The season was going super exciting for LaMelo. He also became the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds, behind only LeBron James.
However, all this was cut short after he suffered a non-contact right ankle injury on February 27 during a 117-106 win over the Pistons.
This injury cost him the whole season. On March 1, he underwent surgery to address his injury and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Relationships
The youngest Ball is reportedly dating a social media influencer and businesswoman Analicia Chaves better known as Ana Montana.
It is unclear how or when Ana and Ball started dating, but every now and then, they drop some hints on social media pointing out to each other.
While the couple has not shared pictures with each other, their flirty exchanges on social media suggest they are indeed an item.
In January 2022, Ball updated an Instagram post that included a photo of Ana from behind, modeling a hoodie from his LaFrance clothing line.
LaFranco is LeMelo’s middle name.
Ana also took to her Instagram story to share a photo and video of herself in the grey logo sweatshirt and blue knee-high boots.
In the comments, she wrote, “LaFrance & u four the win,” with a pink heart emoji.
Even though they have yet to address their relationship status, sharing the picture from behind was a step up from their usual flirty exchanges.
However, Chavez has been criticized for their 13-years age difference.
Net Worth And Contracts
As of April 2023, the youngest Ball, LaMelo, has a net worth of $20 million stemming from his professional basketball career and brand endorsement deals.
Over the course of his three years in the NBA, LaMelo has earned more than $24 million in salaries and incentives.
While his earnings from other basketball stints other than NBA have not been revealed, on November 20, 2020, he signed a $35.60 million four-year contract with the Hornets.
According to the deal, the whole amount is guaranteed, and his annual average salary is $8,899,069.
On October 29, 2021, Charlotte exercised an $8.62 million option for 2022-23 and a $10.9 million option for 2023-24 on October 27, 2022.
Puma Deal And Lawsuit
Just ahead of his NBA Draft, LaMelo signed what has been reported as a staggering $100 million long-term shoe deal with Puma.
Captivatingly, he was the only rookie from the 2020 draft class to sign a significant sneaker contract before the start of the 2020/2021 season.
This deal has not just made him rich but also has gotten him in trouble.
In early 2022, a publicist Amber Johnson alleged that LaMelo never paid her a single penny that he owed her for helping him secure the deal of the lifetime.
According to the lawsuit, Ball hired her in 2019 to help him secure endorsement deals.
She claimed Ball and his reps agreed to give her 10% of any business deal she helped him secure, which includes the Puma deal.
According to her claim, she was entitled to $10 million from the deal, which she sought in damages, plus $4,800 in expenses for which she was never reimbursed.
The further proceeding of the suit has not been revealed.
Real Estate
In 2021, LaMelo purchased a condo in Charlotte for $3 million. This was American football quarterback Cam Newton’s former condo which he had purchased for $1.6 million in 2012.
In addition to this, LaMelo also reportedly owns a $10 million mega-mansion in Los Angeles.
Unknown Facts About LaMelo Ball
- Ball has a role in the reality show Ball in the Family, which was launched in August 2017 and documents the lives of his family members.
- Ball appeared on a segment of WWE Raw with his family members on June 26, 2017.
- Big Baller Brand, a sports apparel company launched by his family in 2016, released a signature shoe for him called the Melo Ball 1 (MB1) on August 31, 2017.
