The Charlotte Hornets made an interesting move at the end of September when they decided to bring in LiAngelo Ball on a non-guaranteed deal for their preseason slate of games. This gave Ball a shot to prove he could stick around at the back of the Hornets rotation for the regular season and play alongside his younger brother, star point guard LaMelo Ball.
The dream for the Ball brothers appears to have been short-lived, however. LiAngelo didn't face great odds of making the Hornets roster in the first place, and he played rather sparingly throughout Charlotte's five preseason contests, so it was clear that the writing had been on the wall for awhile. Those fears for Ball were confirmed when he was released earlier today by the Hornets now that their preseason campaign is in the books and the regular season is right around the corner.
The Charlotte Hornets are waiving G/F LiAngelo Ball, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 15, 2022
This isn't a very surprising move, as Ball never really had a great shot of sticking around in Charlotte. While his younger and older brother (Lonzo Ball) have had success finding homes in the NBA with the Hornets and Chicago Bulls, respectively, the same can't be said for LiAngelo. He has spent time in overseas leagues and the G-League recently, and while he has spent time with the Hornets and the Detroit Pistons before this, he hasn't been able to secure a spot in the league for himself just yet.
This certainly isn't what either of the Ball brothers were hoping for, but it never really seemed likely that LiAngelo would be sticking around with LaMelo and the Hornets throughout preseason action. LiAngelo Ball will now look to find his next opportunity to latch on somewhere, while the Hornets will hope that LaMelo Ball can lead them to the playoffs this upcoming season.
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