In the modern age of social media, one small picture can lead to an avalanche of rumors, reports and sources. On Wednesday, LaMelo Ball was spotted at the Ritz hotel in Boston by a basketball fan. A picture, a supposed quote from Ball and a story later and Ball was in Boston for a Celtics pre-draft workout.
At the time, the uncertainty of the dates surrounding the pre-draft process and a report from Forbes’ Chris Grenham seemed to confirm the reasoning behind Ball behind in New England.
As The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes began reporting details on the dates of the pre-draft process, which included a Sep. 28 date for prospects to arrive in NBA markets for medicals, Ball being in Boston made a little less sense.
DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony cleared up the confusion on Wednesday evening by confirming Ball was in Boston, but not for a Celtics workout.
Source says LaMelo Ball was in Boston for a meeting with sneaker company Puma, not the Celtics, as some online reports have indicated. In-person pre-draft workouts/meetings with teams are not permitted at the moment.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) September 17, 2020
Ball had reportedly joined Puma in late August. Though there wasn’t any official confirmation yet from Puma, Ball seemed to confirm the move himself on Instagram.
Given Thursday’s decision on dates for the pre-draft process, Ball could soon return to Boston for a medical for the Celtics ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft but, for now, that isn’t the case.
