LaMelo trade talks six years after historic NBL feat

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The youngest player in NBL history to record a triple double is now right in the middle of "where there's smoke, there's fire" NBA trade talks after an inconsistent start for the Charlotte Hornets.

Then Illawarra Hawks NBL Next Star LaMelo Ball was just 18 and 94 days old, when he dropped 32 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists on the Cairns Taipans six years ago today (November 25, 2019).

Five days later, he did it again with a 25-point, 12 rebounds and 10-assists performance against the New Zealand Breakers.

Flash forward to November 25, 2025 and Ball, 24, is the subject of trade talks, which the star guard posted a clown emoji on the story when it was posted to X.

"I love being here," Ball said last Saturday (AEDT) after a practice session in Charlotte.

"I ain't saying nothing. I'm just trying to win, that's it. That's what we're going to keep doing."

Ball denied he said he was open to a trade after the Hornets slumped to a 4-11 start.

"He (the reporter) never heard that come from me, so the source is not from me," Ball said. "So it's just false info."

"I'm glad to hear what he had to say because I would echo a lot of the same things," head coach Charles Lee told ESPN.

"Our ability to have communication between myself and Melo and [GM Jeff Peterson] is really high, and I think that he's always communicated to us that he wants to build this thing with us.

"He understands what it's going to take to try to win and who we need in the building and stuff, so I think that he is just committed to Charlotte. He's talked about how much he loves the city and the fans, and that's all I ever heard and that's all I focus on."

Ball signed a five-year, USD $203,852,600 guaranteed extension with Hornets last year with an average annual salary of USD $40,770,520. This season he is earning USD $37,958,760.

Ball was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the third pick of the 2020 NBA Draft after his brief but standout stint with the Illawarra Hawks, catapulting the NBL Next Stars program into the global spotlight. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 12 games for the Hawks before shutting it down with an ankle injury.

Ball became an All-Star in his second season at the Hornets but since then hasn't been selected. His scoring is down this season and his three-point percentage has plummeted from a high of 39% to 28.6%.

LaMelo Ball — NBA Season Trends

Rookie to Year 2 – Rapid Rise

• Jumped from 15.7 → 20.1 PPG while increasing volume efficiently.
• Became a 7+ assist and 6+ rebound guard immediately.
• Improved 3P% from .352 → .389 on higher attempts.
• Earned an All-Star selection in Year 2.

2022–23 – Scoring Explosion

• Reached career-high 23.3 PPG on increased usage (20 FGA/game).
• Took a career-high 10.6 threes per game, hitting .376.
• Assist production continued rising: 8.4 APG.
• Played only 36 games due to injuries.

2023–24 – Similar Efficiency, Better Free Throws

• Maintained elite scoring (23.9 PPG) with improved 2P% (.500).
• Free-throw volume and accuracy increased (4.1 FTM, .865 FT%).
• Playmaking remained strong: 8.0 APG.
• Three-point rate dipped to .355.

2024–25 – Peak Scoring & Heavy Usage

• Career-high 25.2 PPG on 21.3 FGA per game.
• Three-point attempts rose again (11.2/game).
• Strong scoring despite a decline to .339 from deep.
• Assist numbers: 7.4 APG, slight dip from previous seasons.

2025–26 – Shift Toward Playmaking

• Scoring dropped (21.2 PPG), but playmaking spiked to career-best 9.3 APG.
• Rebounding jumped to 6.6 RPG, approaching earlier peaks.
• Three-point shooting slumped to a career low .286.
• Best free-throw season to date: .875 FT%.

Overall Career Trends

• Elite playmaking floor: 7.5 assists per game across career.
• Consistent rebounding: 5.9–7.6 RPG every season.
• Volatile but high-volume 3PT shooting year-to-year.
• Steady scoring growth peaking in mid-20s PPG before this season’s assist surge.

LaMelo Ball NBA Career Totals (6 Seasons)

• ‍G: 241 │ MP: 31.9‍
• FG: 7.4–17.7 │ FG%: .420‍
• 3P: 3.0–8.4 │ 3P%: .361‍
• 2P: 4.4–9.3 │ 2P%: .474‍
• eFG%: .506‍
• FT: 3.2–3.8 │ FT%: .839‍
• REB: 6.0 │ AST: 7.5 │ STL: 1.5 │ BLK: 0.3‍
• TOV: 3.3 │ PF: 3.2 │ PTS: 21.0

LaMelo Ball — Season Box Scores

Illawarra Hawks — 2019–20

Season: 2019–20 (Age 18) │ Team: ILL │ League: NBL │ Position: PG‍

• ‍Games: 12 │ MP: 31.2‍
• FG: 6.3–16.8 │ FG%: 37.3‍
• 3P: 1.7–6.8 │ 3P%: 24.4‍
• FT: 2.8–3.9 │ FT%: 72.3‍
• OREB: 1.8 │ DREB: 5.7 │ REB: 7.5‍
• AST: 7.0 │ STL: 1.7 │ BLK: 0.1‍
• TOV: 2.4 │ PF: 2.6 │ PTS: 17.0‍
• DD: 0.2 │ TD: 0.2 │ SC: 40.6

2020–21 (Rookie Season — ROY)

Season: 2019–21 (Age 19) │ Team: CHA│ League: NBA │ Position: PG

• ‍G: 51 │ MP: 28.8‍
• FG: 5.7–13.2 │ FG%: .436‍
• 3P: 1.8–5.1 │ 3P%: .352‍
• 2P: 3.9–8.1 │ 2P%: .489‍
• eFG%: .504‍
• FT: 2.5–3.2 │ FT%: .758‍
• REB: 5.9 │ AST: 6.1 │ STL: 1.6 │ BLK: 0.4‍
• TOV: 2.8 │ PF: 2.7 │ PTS: 15.7‍
• Awards: ROY, All-Rookie

2021–22 (All-Star)

Season: 2021-22 (Age 20) │ Team: CHA │ League: NBA │ Position: PG

• ‍G: 75 │ MP: 32.3‍
• FG: 7.2–16.7 │ FG%: .429‍
• 3P: 2.9–7.5 │ 3P%: .389‍
• 2P: 4.2–9.2 │ 2P%: .462‍
• eFG%: .517‍
• FT: 2.8–3.2 │ FT%: .872‍
• REB: 6.7 │ AST: 7.6 │ STL: 1.6 │ BLK: 0.4‍
• TOV: 3.3 │ PF: 3.2 │ PTS: 20.1‍
• Awards: NBA All-Star

2022–23

Season: 2022-23 (Age 21) │ Team: CHA │ League: NBA │ Position: PG

• ‍G: 36 │ MP: 35.2‍
• FG: 8.2–20.0 │ FG%: .411‍
• 3P: 4.0–10.6 │ 3P%: .376‍
• 2P: 4.2–9.4 │ 2P%: .450‍
• eFG%: .510‍
• FT: 2.8–3.4 │ FT%: .836‍
• REB: 6.4 │ AST: 8.4 │ STL: 1.3 │ BLK: 0.3‍
• TOV: 3.6 │ PF: 3.3 │ PTS: 23.3

2023–24

Season: 2023-24 (Age 22) │ Team: CHA │ League: NBA │ Position: PG

• ‍G: 22 │ MP: 32.3‍
• FG: 8.3–19.2 │ FG%: .433‍
• 3P: 3.2–9.0 │ 3P%: .355‍
• 2P: 5.1–10.3 │ 2P%: .500‍
• eFG%: .515‍
• FT: 4.1–4.7 │ FT%: .865‍
• REB: 5.1 │ AST: 8.0 │ STL: 1.8 │ BLK: 0.2‍
• TOV: 3.8 │ PF: 3.6 │ PTS: 23.9

2024–25

Season: 2024-25 (Age 23) │ Team: CHA │ League: NBA │ Position: PG

• ‍G: 47 │ MP: 32.0‍
• FG: 8.6–21.3 │ FG%: .405‍
• 3P: 3.8–11.2 │ 3P%: .339‍
• 2P: 4.8–10.1 │ 2P%: .478‍
• eFG%: .494‍
• FT: 4.1–4.9 │ FT%: .843‍
• REB: 4.9 │ AST: 7.4 │ STL: 1.1 │ BLK: 0.3‍
• TOV: 3.6 │ PF: 3.3 │ PTS: 25.2

2025–26 (Current Season)

Season: 2025-26 (Age 24) │ Team: CHA │ League: NBA │ Position: PG

• ‍G: 10 │ MP: 30.7‍
• FG: 7.2–18.3 │ FG%: .393‍
• 3P: 2.6–9.1 │ 3P%: .286‍
• 2P: 4.6–9.2 │ 2P%: .500‍
• eFG%: .464‍
• FT: 4.2–4.8 │ FT%: .875‍
• REB: 6.6 │ AST: 9.3 │ STL: 1.3 │ BLK: 0.1‍
• TOV: 3.6 │ PF: 3.3 │ PTS: 21.2