LaMelo Ball responds to people saying he needs to leave Charlotte

The Charlotte Hornets finished the 2024-25 NBA regular season with the league's 3rd worst record. The team won just 19 games all season, and will find themselves hoping for the draft lottery once again. It's safe to say that it isn't the ideal situation for a budding superstar, and LaMelo Ball's future often gets called into question thanks to that.

Ball was named Rookie Of The Year in 2020 and even made the All-Star team in 2022. He is currently in the first year of a 5-year, $204 million extension with the Hornets. However, many fans want him to leave as soon as possible. He recently gave a firm answer to all that speculation.

LaMelo Ball on being in Charlotte: “Just being here, I love it. I mean, the fans are amazing. The living situation has been amazing. Everything's been solid. So all that you need to leave and this and that . . . I mean, when you’re build something, it's never just going to pop up… pic.twitter.com/1urHIBeLCS
— Ashley Stroehlein (@ashstro) April 14, 2025

“Just being here, I love it. I mean, the fans are amazing," Ball said. "The living situation has been amazing. Everything's been solid. So all that you need to leave and this and that...

"I mean, when you’re build something, it's never just going to pop up and be the best thing. So you gotta stay here, work it out, do what you going to do and see what happens if you're gonna try to make it work. You know what I'm saying?”

Ball has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, he played just 47 games this year. In that time, though, he averaged 25.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. On top of this, he has a guaranteed highlight every game, making him a coveted commodity within the league.

He seems to have no intention of leaving, and the Hornets aren't likely to part with their star either. However, if this NBA season has taught us anything, it's that there are no guarantees when it comes to young stars anymore.

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