With his high school career behind him, LaMelo Ball will go down as arguably the most famous high school basketball player of all time. The list of teenage athletes in high school that average fans know by name is short and LaMelo’s name will go down on that list.
In a recent interview with SLAM as part of a feature piece on LaMelo, LaVar Ball talked about the target that has been placed on his son as a recent of his popularity.
“My son had an ‘X’ on his back ever since he been a baby. Because I tell them ‘I got the coldest Ball boys in the world and ya’ll can’t beat them.’ I been telling them that since they was babies. Now I’m going to get up here and be like ‘Uhh they got to keep work.’ Pssh. See if you can beat them. I ain’t scared to say that because they put in the work.”
The irony of the quote is that, while LaMelo’s talent level would have led to some form of an “X” on his back, that target is substantially bigger because of LaVar himself. LaMelo, like his brothers, is a soft-spoken by nature and virtually the exact opposite of LaVar. In reality, it’s likely LaVar’s nature itself that has caused his sons to grow up with a polar opposite personality as him.
The positive spin on the target on LaMelo’s back is that he has grown largely immune to the pressure on him. In his time with Spire, it was evident Ball could block out all that was going on around him and still perform at a high level for a talented side. That type of focus, similar to that of his oldest brother Lonzo, will play a huge role in him making it as a professional player likely in the NBA.
