LaMelo Ball is a legitimate NBA star. And as other stars around the league have over the years, he is getting quite adept at throwing his weight around.
Even when that means calling out his own head coach.
The Charlotte Hornets fell to the Los Angeles Clippers 120-106 on Sunday. Along the way, they inexplicably managed to get outscored 22-0 over a five-minute stretch at one point in the fourth quarter.
After the game, LaMelo called out head coach James Borrego over the shoddy lineups that led to his team’s collapse.
After Hornets concede 22-0 fourth quarter run in loss to Clippers, LaMelo Ball: “I feel like I’ve got to be in there longer for the fourth quarter, you feel me? I feel like I came in a little late in the game.” pic.twitter.com/1F1pbnilZR
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) November 8, 2021
“I feel like I’ve got to be in there longer for the fourth quarter, you feel me?” he said. “I feel like I came in a little late in the game.”
This is not the first time Borrego found himself on the wrong end of criticism from a member of the Ball family. LaVar famously went after him last season, only to get smacked back into place by Borrego. The Ball family patriarch hasn’t been heard from since.
It remains to be seen if LaMelo will ultimately feel Borrego’s wrath in the way his father did.
Earlier this season a somewhat weird dynamic was established between Borrego and LaMelo when the latter found himself benched during crunch time. The real reason for that benching would later emerge, but not everyone bought it at the time.
That’s one way to do Halloween. https://t.co/YmqiqaNaYN
— Game 7 (@game7__) November 1, 2021
LaMelo enjoys a very unique relationship with Hornets owner Michael Jordan. That affords him a certain degree of latitude. At a some point, however, things will come to a head. Either the coach or the star player will need to be granted authority. Otherwise LaMelo publicly undermining Borrego like this will persist.
Watch this space. What happens between Borrego and LaMelo going forward will have massive ramifications for the careers of both men.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
