Two Ball brothers briefly came together in Charlotte, but less than 20 hours later, the reunion is over.
The Hornets announced they waived LiAngelo Ball, brother of young Charlotte star LaMelo, less than a day after announcing they signed him to a nonguaranteed contract. The move, which ESPN reported was expected, paves a way for Ball to potentially join the franchise's G League team, the Greensboro Swarm.
The Charlotte Observer was the first to report the potential move to retain Ball's G League rights.
During Las Vegas's Summer League, the elder Ball averaged 9.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 17.4 minutes across five games for the Hornets. However, he did not receive an invitation to be a member of Charlotte’s 20-player training-camp roster.
Coach James Borrego previously praised LiAngelo Ball's growth during media day.
“I’m comfortable with LiAngelo and how he played,” Borrego said. “I thought he got better during that period, but we have to make certain decisions here, and I’m comfortable with where we’re at. ... I can only speak for what he did on the floor in Vegas, and I thought he performed well and opened eyes and played at a higher level than I expected.”
