Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to play basketball in the NBA someday – it was my passion and I couldn’t get enough of it.
As a kid, I would shoot around for hours on my dilapidated hoop, simulating matchups between the leagues most prominent teams and players. I used to narrate these “games,” as if I was on the floor along with them living my dream. I was that kid who would show up to practice wearing different jerseys and yes, I thought I was untouchable; basketball was my world.
Despite my love for the game, however, I never enjoyed watching the NBA as much as I did other professional sports leagues. In many ways, I attribute that lack of interest to never having a team of my own.
Throughout my childhood, the Hornets/Bobcats were consistently awful, therefore I never felt compelled to root for them. To put things into perspective, they’ve made the playoffs a mere six times over the course of my lifetime. Of those six appearances, the franchise advanced past the first round only twice and has yet to appear in a conference final, much less a championship. Simply put, Charlotte has been subpar, at best, for a stretch of over 21 years. I have never felt the need to watch, or even keep up with the organization in any way…
*record scratch*
Until now. I can genuinely say, for the first time ever, that I am invested in the Charlotte Hornets. I have found myself keeping up with live scores this season, watching game highlights and I am so close to spending a paycheck on an authentic jersey.
Before I dive too deep, let me acknowledge that I am far from a die hard supporter. In fact, at this moment in time I’m nothing more than a casual fan. I wasn’t there through the painful years of losing streaks so I am not willing to hop on the bandwagon and pretend that is the case. Instead, I plan to ease my way into fandom.
Now, if you don’t watch sports, I’m sure you might be wondering what led to this change of heart. Why did I, suddenly, decide to start following a team on such short notice? Well, there is a one word answer to that daunting question – LaMelo.
You see, the Hornets front office hit the lottery in November of last year during the 2020 NBA Draft. LaMelo Ball, a high school prodigy who forewent college to play overseas, was the projected No. 1 pick. By some miracle, he fell down to the No. 3 spot where Charlotte sat on the draft board. The choice was a no brainer.
Just a short three months later, the rookie has established himself as a starter on the team and has been posting ridiculous numbers. In early January, he became the youngest player in league history to post a triple-double, he was recently named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month and Ball has already tied or broken numerous franchise records. The 6’6” point guard has endless range on his three-point shot and remarkable court vision which leads to a pretty spectacular passing ability. Don’t believe me? Check out this already extensive highlight reel.
LaMelo’s BEST No-Look Assists 👀 | #NBARooks
The first-year star competes alongside a talented young core of players, most notably Miles Bridges and Devonte Graham. Meanwhile, former All-star Gordon Hayward provides the much-needed veteran leadership for this budding roster.
As if the talent on the floor wasn’t enough to keep me intrigued, the play-by-play announcers for the Hornets provide a newfound level of energy to the game. Eric Collins has the courage to utilize language that would be coined “out of pocket” by many of today’s traditional broadcasters and I love it! In Monday’s contest against the Houston Rockets, Collins manufactured the phrase “Livin’ LaMelo Loco” and just a few weeks prior, made the most entertaining call I’ve ever heard.
LaMelo Ball Throws Down Nasty Putback Dunk Over Domantas Sabonis
The Hornets may sit one game below .500 as it stands right now and they certainly have room to grow, but the future is bright for this historically lackluster program. And I am loving every second of it.
Stanley out.
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