LaMelo Ball is only 22 years old and is already breaking team records with a whole career still in front of him.
According to NBA.com, the Charlotte Hornets’ point guard recorded a triple-double in a recent game that the team lost to the Dallas Mavericks. It’s not the fact that he had a triple-double that placed him in the Hornets record book. Ball became the second player during the regular season to have a 30-point triple-double. But, he became the first player to do so in regulation.
Ball pulled down ten rebounds while scoring 30 points and having 13 assists in Sunday night’s 124-118 loss. Entering the fourth quarter, Ball had only 7 points but exploded for 23 more to try to will his team to a win but fell short.
Anthony Mason was the first Hornets player to have a 30-point triple-double. But, Mason achieved that feat when the game went into overtime on March 31, 2000, making Ball’s accomplishment the first time that it was done in regulation during the regular season. Yet, Ball is the third player to do so after Baron Davis achieved the same feat during a playoff game on April 27, 2002 in Orlando.
Ball had another record for the game. He also became the first Hornets player to ever reach double-digit career triple-doubles. This was his 10th time doing so.
CBS Sports reported that the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft had career averages of 19.3 points, 7.4 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game before Sunday’s game. He is also shooting 37% on 7.5 3-point attempts per game. The point guard signed a five-year, $260 million extension with the team in July.
LaMelo, who is the youngest of the Ball brothers, who all play professional basketball, has been touted as the best player in the family. Lonzo Ball, who is currently on the Chicago Bulls, is sidelined this season due to a third knee surgery that may curtail his career. LiAngelo played for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League earlier this year.