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LaMelo Ball has been bitten by the injury bug over the past two seasons, but on Wednesday night, he showed why he remains one of the brightest young stars in the today's game with the way he led the Charlotte Hornets to a 110-105 win over the Houston Rockets. Ball dropped 34 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists, and it wasn't as if he just padded those stats, as he also made plenty of big shots to fuel the Hornets' comeback bid.
Following the win, Ball had himself an eventful interview with the booth at FanDuel Sports Network. Not only did he give a major shoutout to his father LaVar, who was celebrating his birthday, he also took the time to give Kemba Walker, a newly hired assistant coach for the Hornets organization, his due flowers.
“That's my brother right there, that's my dawg. Like I said, he gang, I'm gang. We chilling all the time. I f**k with his family,” Ball said.
"That's my brother right there, that's my dawg… We chilling all the time. I f*ck with his family."
LaMelo Ball during his postgame interview while talking about his close bond with former Hornet Kemba Walker 😆
pic.twitter.com/q5kc2qmcev— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 24, 2024
The Hornets organization certainly recognizes just how much Walker has contributed to the franchise during his eight-year stint in the Queen City. He remains the franchise's all-time leading scorer, and fittingly, the Hornets remained home for him following his retirement.
Now 34 years old, Walker's career was cut short by his injury problems that sapped him of the athletic gifts that once made him one of the most dynamic guards in the association. Regardless, Walker knows that it's time to give back to the next generation of ballers, and he's certainly doing his part in bringing out the best in Ball as the Hornets' player enhancement coach.
A consummate professional, Walker has been a positive presence wherever he has been, and it looks like all the work he has put in with Ball during the offseason is paying off instantaneously. With the Hornets looking to improve to respectability, having Ball be at his best following a tumultuous past two seasons is imperative for them to reach their goals for this season.
Remembering Kemba Walker's fruitful stint with the Hornets
The Hornets franchise has struggled for much of its existence (at least since it was revived as the Bobcats in 2004). They have only made the postseason thrice over the past 20 years, with two of those playoff berths coming thanks in large part to Kemba Walker's contributions.
Walker had efficiency problems to begin his career, but it didn't take long for him to be the lead guard the Hornets needed, especially during the Al Jefferson years. He was consistent and rarely injured, peaking in his final season with the team as he averaged 25.6 points per game.
It's a shame that the Hornets failed to hit on their draft picks during Walker's time with the team. They whiffed on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, Noah Vonleh, and Frank Kaminsky, and then they let Shai Gilgeous-Alexander slip away from them in a draft-night trade.
But Walker deserves to be appreciated for soldiering on for the Hornets even though they failed to surround him with quality pieces, therefore driving him to choose the Boston Celtics in free agency in 2019.
