In drafting LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 pick of 2020 NBA Draft, the Hornets selected one of the most popular prospects in recent years. Ball’s following on Instagram totals over 5.7 million followers with a reach larger than some NBA teams.
That following has led to him being one of the most well-known prospects among both fans and his peers. Despite taking a route that saw him leave college after his sophomore season and make stops in professional leagues in both Lithuania and Australia, Ball’s popularity only grew.
Included in that following were a handful of Ball’s new teammates on the Hornets as PJ Washington, Malik Monk and Miles Bridges all took the opportunity to welcome him to the league on Twitter Wednesday night.
@MELOD1P welcome to the city bro 🤘🏽
— PJ Washington (@PJWashington) November 19, 2020
— Malik Monk (@AhmadMonk) November 19, 2020
Let’s get it @MELOD1P 🔥💪🏽
— Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges) November 19, 2020
Interesting, Ball and Washington do have some history together as the two played one another in a preseason friendly ahead of their 2016-17 high school seasons. At the time, Ball was a sophomore at Chino Hills and Washington was a senior at Findlay Prep.
