LaMelo Ball's wild journey to becoming a top 2020 NBA Draft prospect | ESPN Cover Story
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ส.ค. 2020
- LaMelo Ball is the most famous player in the 2020 NBA Draft, but he also remains the biggest mystery. With the help of his brothers, New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo and LiAngelo, and outspoken father Lavar, ESPN Cover Story profiles LaMelo's journey from Chino Hills to Lithuania to Australia to top NBA prospect.
#NBA
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I like how Lavar ain't that loud anymore, his talk was all part of the plan - he's done what he had to do for his boys, salute to the big dawg
Exactly, people don’t understand it was ALWAYS business with Lavar
Saint Aubyn TFG a business built on lies sure, but you do you...
epiccollision bruh every single major successful business was brought up on lies. The very platform you watch this on is a whole lie.
@@TheFineGreat ong
I can dig it
ESPN needs to run an apology piece to Lavar Ball for doubting him
They’re doing one! But it’s ESPN AND Lavar apologizing to Alan 😂
Kevin Dinero Network Alan?
Why
ASAP
Apologize bout what???
His mental toughness is underrated/overlooked. Through everything he always just kept his mind on hoopin. Any time, for any team, under any circumstances he laced up & you gotta respect that.
facts well said
Another Lonzo Ball walking into the NBA lol. Overhyped brothers.
he the next goat after lebron
@@youraverageguy5746 nahh you tried it everybody knows he's gonna be better then Lonzo
Is he allowed to do anything else...
Theyre saying ish like "scored ONLY 6 pts" about a 16 year old playing in a grown man league in a foreign country environment he never experienced before. The media is crazy.
*laughs in Luka*
@@TalkingOverEveryone Bruh Luka was much more experienced and had already played pro basketball, at a very high level so I don't know what ur on about.
JP M nah that was your media creating sheeple like you . We were always hyped for luka
@JP M lamelo ball is a bust
@@aryasingh1625 my guy, Luka played on harsher environments unlike softies in the NBA, when he came to the league, he clearly said that the NBA was pretty easy compared to his original location.
Interviewer : “ AT WHAT AGE DID YOU KNOW LAMELO WOULD BE GOOD ?”
Lavar : “ AT WHAT AGE? ! BEFORE HE CAME OUT THE WOMB ! “
I expected such a response lol
Same. Gonna be a real bummer when this kid becomes top bust of all time 😂😂😂
Freddy Ford ur dumb💀
...This is....Lavar Balll Levell
Freddy Ford you joking right ? Out of both brothers he clearly will be the more successful one lol
@@freddyford63 Bust or not, he will make mega millions of dollars from basketball.
No matter how you feel about him, can somebody give Lavar his props?
Y’all stay hating on Lavar ball but my mans got two of his kids as top 3 picks... that’s unheard of. Great dad and he got his boys winning in life
Yea he's found a way to market role players as the next coming of Jordan
BruceAeroustile FAX
Mr.E Why are you hating?
LeGM It’s true, though
"I was born with confidence" " I always felt like I could do anything" that's great parenting
Man it starts at home
Born for greatness. LeVar already practiced on the two older brothers. Time for LeMelo.
Stop it
Lonzo was a trash bust
Bro you just don’t know basketball. He can’t shoot or play defense
@@patrickbatemanfeels8685 are you in the Nba?
@@patrickbatemanfeels8685 you don’t know how it is in the NBA it isn’t easy it’s hard work and Alonzo This year had a pretty good season
Lavar spoke it into existence. He did say at least 2 of his boys would become pro and he was correct.
Michael Valdez all 3 are technically professional. Liangelo just in the G league
@Michael Valdez In a serious interview he said he guaranteed 2 of the three would make pro. Well Gelo is in the G league so........
Naw, he said all 3 would be on the Lakers.
@@JockishSports everyone knew that wasn't going to happen. To have 2 sons pro and one in the g league is amazing. that man did his job whether you haters like it or not.
Gregory Hayes G league still pro, Gelo just unlucky bc COVID canceled the season before his debut
U forgot a major part like when after he played overseas he went back to HS and was in along top players in ESPN100 and then he went to the NBL
Honestly that got him on the National radar, him going back to hs really helped his stock
@Knoda -
You forgot his daddy had to send him to a prep school in Ohio that played in an NCAA DIV I affiliate for students who have/had eligibility while he earned his high school diploma. LaMelo lost his amateur status after leaving high school and playing basketball for pay in Eastern Europe. The Ball brothers are nothing more than hype and very little substance, because the media and most people in the U.S. are slaves to hype.
Daddy has done a good job hiding LaMelo serious flaws by having him play in Australia instead of the more competitive European leagues that has players who can better test his son's talents.
@@thespadestable I've watched some of his NBL games and he is pretty legit.
He didn't go back to high-school. He went to juco. Dont make stuff up
@@thespadestable his brother is avg 12 6 6 in his third szn 37% from 3 they legit
"I never lacked confidence. I feel like I was born with it, and always felt like I could do anything."
Wish I could say the same lol
Find out what you’re good at and then repeat it to yourself everyday.
you can change that.. it starts with acknowledging that every decision you have made has lead you to this point. start taking accountability.
Bro it’s crazy how we saw Lamelo grow up before our eyes😢
I bet he’s gonna have a documentary about his basketball career
He seems more mature as if he realized how much hard work it takes
Imagine driving hours standing in the rain to see a 14 year old play high school games and all your friends making fun of you when you said he'd be an All-Star one day in the NBA.
This is so freaking crazy!!!!!
Lavar Ball thinking in his mind: Neva Lost!!!
💯! 😂😂😂😂😂
He Switching gears FrFr🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Newmans Dad punchin the air in the living room 😂
@@lvl9j34 haha how come none of them even came close to getting drafted tho hahaha
They talked trash for dropping out of high school....look at him now.
@sandsand still a millionaire
sandsand he’s way better than zo what are you talking about
@sandsand I see where you coming from hopefully he perform well enough to make it
He dropped out of high school?
sandsand how can u say that when they’re two different ppl, just let the kid play basketball and see what happens
30/10/10 player. He is the next triple-double king!
Aaron Carver ight that’s why he’s predicted first round draft pick then is it😐
@@Cbrunning849 well first of all he's been dealing with the spotlight and haters since his freshman year he although didn't shoot the ball well he still avg 17 pts great passer he has great defensive instincts like lonzo who was also bad at defense and now is one of the best defensive pg only thing his brother really lacks is the ability to score which lamelo has he's crafty lonzo can only score off and isn't craft he is just as good of a passer as his bro
I'll be optimistic and say he's gonna be ok. Not gonna go running my mouth/fingers saying Luka Slowcic a couple of years ago from the 'haters'. 🤣👏👏
@@Cbrunning849 that wasn't his true fg percent and he played good defense
@@Cbrunning849 u know his % is worse bc he takes every shot he can right? even if its from the middle or even more far away... If he really wanted the good % he would already have it
He’s going to be the best out of the ball brothers watch 💯
He’s not a mystery. He is the most dissected & criticized high school player since Lebron James. I hope he gets in the right organization with veterans that will shield him from the media and let him develop.
pls dont put those 2 names in the same conv :)
bubususa he didn’t say he was as good as Lebron was/is. He said he has had the most attention as a high school player since him. Get off Lebron’s nuts.
Zion entered the chat
Anderson Hernandez yeah see but Zion wasn’t criticized. We know he was gonna dunk on people and be a beast in the nba. Melo gets as much attention but I lot of people doubted him. Props to the kid tho
@@andersonhernandez8367 zion wasn't as popular in highschool as lamelo. He was in College.
Jermaine changed melo. Ever since getting with JJ melo is more mature and focused.
Very true
Hanging around older guys does that
I bet he’s gonna have a documentary about his basketball career
ESPN 3 years ago: "Lavar is a joke. He's full of himself. His kids are gonna melt under the hype"
ESPN today: >Putting his second kid on the cover of ESPN magazine
Gotta give props to Lavar. Everyone thought he was a clown yet he's about to have two of his sons in the NBA
1st kid is out the door, cant score play or pass the ball
@@gregoryeverson741 So your one of those... give zo his props he may not be the best but dont act like hes just garbage he plays for a team with little to no vets to help develop his game he's been alone from jump
@@caydenwalker370 he is trash, he had a LeBron, what you see from Zo is all he is going to be, how many more years does he need to develop?
ESPN is a business honestly I don’t think none of the Ball brothers are anything special ! I do give Lavar props for raising three successful sons and two of the three made it pro ! But my honest basketball opinion they’re aiiight 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂
@sikcondones what is Zo's role besides taking in 10 mil a year? i thought Zo was a passing wizard? that was proving wrong
How u doing a story bout his journey an leave out the spire part ?
And JBA
They showed spire jersey
@@bgog4466 nah they was fine with that part. That league was horrible on defense.
That's like if you worked as a dishwasher when you were 15 and they're asking you what you learned from it when you're in a job interview when you're 24
@@gabriel_of_spain ? not like that at all lmao
Melo has been in the spotlight since he was 14....went overseas then back to HS and back overseas. He’s been through so much within the last 4 to 5 years. He worked hard and made it to this point now. S/O to Lavar and Tina as well
Still not worthy of a top pick. Kid can’t shoot. 22% from the feild. I know kindergarteners who can shoot better
@@jvjustvibes9103 didnt know yall had 6'7 kindergardeners that can handle the rock where you live
J V idiot
J V you sound dumb
METHINTHELAB “worked hard”...hmmm look at Lavar berating coaches and reporters for asking real questions
I love how his old coach became his personal coach and family friend!
This was the best cover story I’ve ever seen
“He had a teenage experience I would not want”
Homeless teenagers: 😧😐
Still I would think with all that fame and money he would have an easy path to the nba. But he had to go through haters, his fathers pressure, different schools, different leagues, society pressure, and he only a teenager. He only 19.
@@mohamad4257 making the nba is not easy thats how it is if you wanna be the best you have to deal with pressure it's better to go throught pressure as a teen and be a millionaire
@@mohamad4257 but thats what will seperate him from others in the League 🙏
@@O.G.1Love the NBA is full of players that truly had to sacrifice to get to where they are. LeMelo had a brother with a multimillion dollar contract. His suffering was caused by his father's decisions, not from the hardships other players had to go through. His brother is being looked at as a bust, that may keep some teams away.
@@jlv3x nahh thats just your opinion, agree to disagree :)
Kids life is a movie
right. lol
“It’s not like you get into the league and say ‘i made it’, now life really begins.” Melo really is gonna be a superstar and I think he’s mentally prepared for it.
Melo journey truly been crazy
And his dad made it possible for him and I remember so many haters said he won't make it to the NBA but he is proving everyone wrong now
“Lamelo will be the best in the long run” - Lavar Ball
I mean the other 2 pretty trash...
soldier2009 lonzos tuff dont sleep
@@ethankwon8741 Lonzo trash in the NBA compared to what his daddy said he'd be. Li Angelo in the G league. If anything Lavar fucked them up to be a NBA disappointment
@@Soldier979 Lonzo's not trash, stats don't say what he does on the court. He was at some point overrated but now I can easily say he's one of the underrated players in the nba for sure
Allen Ruz his team tanked an opportunity designed to get that team into the playoffs and the players like “Zo”...didn’t show up, they choked like he did in LA, because he is not the truth.
He’s the best of all the brothers
Agreed
It's weird how most of us living on Earth will never meet or even acknowledge each other's existence. For example, if you're reading my comment; this is probably the first and last time you'll ever see me.
Random thought. Very true tho
And maybe we have or will have met, in the street, in the airport, on a train, yet we'll never have known that we replied to each other's comment
Deeeeeeeep
*hits blunt*
Bruh
Lonzo looks like a mid 20's uncle
He is 🤣
Dam, LaMelo taller than Newman as a baby😁
Foul lol 😂
💀💀💀 ain’t have to do bro like that lol
If he puts on some muscle like Giannis did, he'll be a problem
He working out according to some sources but true tho he is explosive to
He becomes Better every Session... Its scary
I lowkey like Lavar Ball mindset, hes straight forward
Now life really starts 💯 we watching Melo
Melo has really matured and I think he’ll be a great asset to any team 💪
Not in today’s league. He can’t shoot. Just like Lonzo. There’s no real proof he will be good in the nba. 22% shooting. Today’s league is all about shooting. Look at the team that’s been in the past 5 nba finals-the warriors. All they do is shoot. It’s a shooters league and Lamelo can’t shoot
Had to get away from daddy
Charlie Ray Donic is a better shooter than you giving him credit for
@@jvjustvibes9103 L
@@jvjustvibes9103 I hope you ear your words up after watching lamelo now.
Lamelo has been playing with grown men like Luka in his teens that will help him since basketball outside of the U.S is more than just athletism, look at (Bagley and Zion..)
Aggre although luka has played for more time with with competitive team but it makes lamelo better and more experienced player in my opinion
@@pantelo18 Luka led his team to the EuroLeague championship (the second best basketball league in the world) winning MVP and Finals MVP at 19, and still fell to 3rd pick. Lamelo averaged 6 points in some unknown Lithuanian league and won Rookie of the Year in some unknown Australian league, and all of a sudden he's a lock for 1st pick?
The blatant racism towards foreign-born players is disgusting and NBA organisations should be ashamed. Lamelo will never be half the player Luka is.
@@henrychung5233 your saying the nbl is unknown? And chill out bruh you might be right but he said nothing to garner the attack you’ve obviously been keeping to yourself for a while
Henry Chung racism? What?, he’s just saying that LaMelo played against pros in the nbl, no ones discrediting Luka, we all know Lukas better stop race baiting
Euro Step Productions naw there is racism though
"I never lacked confidence i was practically born with it" said every lightskin ever🤣
Oh boy thats a bad joke.
@@andinda7915 ok
@@frxnsje147 okay here is like for effort
@@andinda7915 are u lightskin?
@@The_favorite_Uncle ah yea?
I'm happy for the kid. I honestly was one of the people who said he wouldn't make it this far. He's worked hard, he deserves it.
I like his comment at the end. "Once I get to the league, that's when life finally started". Hope he goes far
That trip to Lithuania, definitely changed him mentally and taught the values of hard work and dedication, because he was overconfident in himself.
lets go lamelo ! im so proud of you and i dont even know you , just been watching you over the years so this means a lot to me .. nows your time to shine bro.. kill it out there for your future family and next generations.. good luck .. and best wishes brotha.
I’m really excited to see how Melos nba career plays out. I have no doubt that he will do big things. Melos is built for the spotlight. He built to be at the top. Most, if not all the credit goes to his pops for putting his son in the best position to succeed.
1:48 Man how I missed seeing this man.. Lavar is the real deal
LITERALLY DIED LAUGHING....man Lavar needs his own show or something XD
Lebron do what you do best and get melo on the lakers😂
Ik Lavar is the A team Jamie newman
Avi Agarwal Ball in the Family
Lamelo deserves #1 💪🏽
This young man will be something to watch!! I remember seeing him during Lonzo's days and he was always real quiet soaking up everything. His journey also took a lot of discipline and greatness. The fact that he didn't go #1 draft pick will make him go harder. I'm excited to watch him play.
Thats a good mindset. "When you make it to the league. I won't say I made it. Cause im barely starting"
I wish I had a father like lavar I love that man 💪🏾💪🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾💯💯
Who’s here after the draft when he got drafted by the Hornets
lonzo ball finna do a 1v1 against Jordan
He seems more mature as if he realized how much hard work it takes
Gotta love them Ball boys!!!
They bring the heat. There going to be great Basketball players moving forward!
I’ve always appreciated Melo since he was young
I can’t wait to see him succeed in the NBA
gotta give credit to Lavar having two sons potentially both being a top 3 pick
Love it. Wish it was longer than 6 minutes though!
So mature now & talented. He'll definitely go top 3. Hope he gets #1.
You can't talk about the ball brothers and not mention Lavar
Anyone else feel like a proud parent that watched him grow and mature
The fact that lamelo knows when you get to the nba that’s when life finally starts this dude low key cold 🥶 like he doesn’t show it but he gone lite up the nba just watch 😤
Im honestly happy for him...dude put in hella work to get this point
The fact that he played overseas when he was 14 was impressive and he played with adults too
Ikr
16*
I believed the hyped since day one 🤙🏽🙏🏽😂
Keep shining bro show them your greatness 💯
1:41 - his two hand jam is the same now as it was when he was 7 years old.
I still stand by Lamelo gonna be the best Ball brotha, dudes a legit talent!!!
5 words: 22% from the feild
and in his 2nd year, he's an all star :)
I was in the 3rd grade when I first heard about the Ball Brothers back when they were all still in Chino Hills. Now, i’m heading into the 8th grade and I feel really old just looking back at their high school careers ‘till now. Zo is now a solid NBA-caliber starter, Melo won ROTY and now the sky’s the limit, and Gelo, he going to play for the Hornets’ summer league team.
remember when ESPN said they were banning Lavar after Molly tripped out on him being ready to "switch gears" on a topic?
Yea ok
Molly is full of herself. Lavar wanted the question not anything else to convict him on national tv with his wife
Slimeballs do slimey things...it’s their nature married or not
@@epiccollision STFU!
"At what age? Before he came out the womb!"
0
This hard
His time at Spire, Drew league, & Rico Hines gym really pushed Melo to another level imo. He was putting in work non stop, think they should’ve mentioned that.
you can tell he’s matured so much , lavar wasn’t wrong about melo , I feel like he will have a big impact in the nba
Who is here after he went top 3 ?
Its been a pleasure watching him play over here in Australia.
Teens mature at their own pace, each experience is a single growing pain. Lamelo’s is specific to himself, as is everyone’s! and the futures in bloom for him thus far.
man this vid sucks yall missed the key part him going to spire ... smh
Exactly
they cant put that on here cause they all hated him 😂😂😂
literally learned close to nothing from this video smh
I saw him at Spire, he didn't play though.
My boy all grown up now 🥺😂
Praying for his success!!
He did a lot of growing up over these last two years 🔥
I've always like Melo and usually the youngest becomes the best. But I fear people are hyping him too much. I see a solid high turnover point guard for the first 3 years, if he plays the 2, he will be a defensive liability, but good enough offensively to stay on the court. I see a mixture of Shaun Livingston and Zach Lavine in him. We will see
I’m glad he has the right mentality once you make it that’s just half the work
Blessed kid...hope he makes it big
Iam in Australia and loved watching him play
If your old enough to have watched him, his interviews sounds like a young Kobe at the same age.
He seems very mature for this, and that would take him long ways
I really fw with melo’s mindset, he matured really well, strong minded dude
We will be looking forward in the next draft...👍👍
Lavar will you adopt me... LMAO best dad EVER.
I feel like I've been watching him forever and he's only 18.
Kid has the most unique game I've seen from a PG in a while. Reminds me alot of Dangelo Russell. Build reminds me alot of Michae Carter Williams.
watching LaMelo grow....
Reporter- At what age did you
know Melo was ready for this?
Lavar- Since he came out the womb
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Love his attitude he a real baller 🙏
I didn't know Trae Young and Lonzo Ball perfected the fusion technique.
Why is this even a question? His game separates him from more than 75 percent of the league. He makes others better. He is more famous than most of the players in the league. He puts people in the seats. He is good for business. Only a incompetent person or a hater would deny his entry a an all star 🌟. Hes got what true basketball fans want. He is very entertaining to watch. The question should be. How come they sleeping on Gelo. Hella weird.
Gone be special💯
Lavar I give u all the respect n props yo boys r sum ballers fr
Hype like his brother
Oh God Lavaaar!!!! U hate or love him.....RESPECT THAT MAN😂😂😂😂
He remained himself throughout all of this. A real one for sure
“Nah, now life finally started”
That’s the one right there