LaMelo Ball reminded basketball fans why his nickname was the “Ankle Bully CEO” in high school when the Illawarra Hawks took on the Brisbane Bullets in their NBL season opener on Sunday.
In the second quarter of Sunday’s game, Bullets forward Taylor Braun tried to put Ball on an island, and it didn’t work out for him, as he got crossed up twice in the same possession and ended up on the floor both times. Unfortunately, his teammate Josh Boone was unable to complete Ball’s highlight play.
This single highlight from Ball also doesn’t accurately reflect how Ball played against the Bullets. In 31:46 minutes for the Hawks, Ball scored 12 points on a lowly 6-17 from the field, including 0-5 from behind the 3-point line. He also posted a team-low box plus-minus of -15 despite contributing 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Ball and the Hawks fell to the Bullets in their NBL season opener 90-81. They’ll hope to bounce back against the Perth Wildcats on Oct. 11. The game will be broadcast on ESPN, giving Ball another opportunity to improve his NBA Draft stock.
