<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/news/cavs-news-lonzo-ball-lamelo-ball-showdown-rivalry-week-treatment');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cavs’ Lonzo Ball vs. LaMelo Ball showdown gets Rivalry Week treatment');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Cavs-Lonzo-Ball-Hornets-LaMelo-Ball.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cavs’ Lonzo Ball vs. LaMelo Ball showdown gets Rivalry Week treatment</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-14T15:35:37-07:00">August 14th, 3:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-14T15:36:53-07:00">August 14th, 3:36pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints and Cavs Nation, as well as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cavs News</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Cleveland Cavs veteran Lonzo Ball will face his brother LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets as part of the NBA’s Rivalry Week in 2025-26. After <a href="https://cavsnation.com/news/cavs-news-showdown-knicks-tips-off-espn-nba-opening-week-schedule">the Cavs’ season opener on October 23</a>, the Balls brothers’ Cavs and Hornets matchup will be featured amid a four-day doubleheader starting on January 20 and ending with a tripleheader on January 24. The New York Knicks will face the Philadelphia 76ers.</p><p>Then, the Golden State Warriors will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers against the Dallas Mavericks, which will be headlined by Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis. LaMelo Ball and the Hornets will host Lonzo and the Cavs on January 21 <a href="https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/1956074122611691766" rel="noopener">amid Rivalry Week</a>.</p><p>NBA Rivals Week: Jan. 20-24: Spurs at Rockets – Jan. 20 Lakers at Nuggets – Jan. 20 Cavs at Hornets – Jan. 21 Thunder at Bucks – Jan. 21 Warriors at Mavs – Jan. 22 Lakers at Clippers – Jan. 22 Rockets at Pistons – Jan. 23 Pacers at Thunder – Jan. 23 Knicks at 76ers – Jan. 24 Warriors at Timberwolves – Jan. 24 Lakers at Mavericks – Jan. 24.</p><p>The Cavs acquired Ball in exchange for Isaac Okoro from the Chicago Bulls. In another injury-riddled season for the veteran guard, Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in 35 games last season. After undergoing a meniscus and cartilage transplant in his left knee in 2023, Ball suffered a right wrist sprain.</p><p>However, Ball is confident that 2025-26 <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/lonzo-ball-excited-fresh-start-cleveland-cavaliers" rel="noopener">will be his bounce-back season</a> after playing in only 70 games thoughout the past two seasons, per NBA.com.</p><p>“I think it’s a great situation for my play style,” Ball said. “[Donovan Mitchell] is one of the best players we have in the league. And they have two bigs that are mobile, can set pick-and-rolls and get to the rim like that. And then do some switching on defense. I think we can do a lot of different things on both sides of the ball, and to have the option to be able to do those things is great.”</p><h2><b>Lonzo Ball’s Cavs workout management schedule revealed</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Cavs-Lonzo-Ball.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Cavs veteran <a href="https://cavsnation.com/news/cavaliers-lonzo-ball-workload-management-schedule">Lonzo Ball will have a unique management schedule</a> next season. Due to his injury history, the Cavs will tread lightly with Ball, in hopes of having him available amid a potential deep playoff run.</p><p>Ball will not be playing on back-to-backs, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/533CSeuiEK6Yun8I45mM50" rel="noopener">revealed</a> via the Wine and Gold Podcast.</p><p>“I know that the Cavs are having conversations as an organization about no back-to-backs for Lonzo Ball,” Fedor said. “If it’s three games in four nights, be cognizant of that when it comes to Lonzo. If it’s five in seven, be cognizant of that when it comes to Lonzo.”</p><p>The Cavs will have 13 back-to-backs throughout the 2025-26 regular season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cavs’ Lonzo Ball vs. LaMelo Ball showdown gets Rivalry Week treatment

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-grant-williams-gushes-over-lamelo-ball-offseason-work');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets’ Grant Williams gushes over LaMelo Ball’s offseason work');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LaMelo-Ball-of-the-Charlotte-Hornets.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets’ Grant Williams gushes over LaMelo Ball’s offseason work</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-06T21:50:57-07:00">August 6th, 9:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-06T21:50:57-07:00">August 6th, 9:50pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There’s no doubt about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-culture-appears-to-finally-be-in-place">Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball’s elite-level talent</a>. The question has always been about his durability. But despite his injury-riddled career, Ball has never stopped trying to improve. Just ask Hornets forward Grant Williams.</p><p>Since being traded to Charlotte in 2024, Williams has witnessed Ball’s character and work ethic. The All-Star guard only played 47 games last season due to ankle and wrist injuries. While being constantly sidelined can be deeply frustrating for many, Williams said Ball has <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article311481720.html" rel="noopener">kept his head up</a>.</p><p>“He’s doing a lot of things that bring value. Not only his voice, but just his approach. He’s in there every single day. He’s there and present, and I think (he) is somebody we can look to and see, like, ‘He’s actually putting the work in every single day, not this person who is away from us and claims to be doing the work.’ No, he’s doing it every single day. He’s doing every single workout, he’s being available,” said Williams in a report from The Charlotte Observer’s Roderick Boone.</p><p>The 23-year-old <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-brandon-miller-main-thing-glaring-issue-lamelo-ball">Ball has only played 231 games in five seasons</a>, reaching at least 75 games only once. The Hornets will go as far as he can take them, but he needs to stay on the floor.</p><p>For the 26-year-old Williams, Ball is on the right path, especially in taking on the role of being the team’s cornerstone.</p><p>“Not only just from a like, ‘Hey, let’s go do this.’ If maybe we do a mini-camp, ‘Let’s organize this, I’ll take care of these guys, I’ll do this.’ So, he’s being very, very welcoming in a sense of (being) a leader and understanding that he’s going to have to take it to a more mature step in his role in order for us to be the best team possible,” added Williams, who was limited to just 16 games last season due to multiple knee injuries.</p><p>The Hornets haven’t been to the playoffs for the past nine seasons, the longest active drought in the NBA.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets’ Grant Williams gushes over LaMelo Ball’s offseason work

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/puma-announces-release-date-lamelo-ball-5th-signature-shoe');   ga('set', 'title', 'Puma announces release date, price of LaMelo Ball’s 5th signature shoe');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Lamelo-Ball-Puma.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Kinser-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Puma announces release date, price of LaMelo Ball’s 5th signature shoe</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-04T13:12:02-07:00">August 4th, 1:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-04T13:12:02-07:00">August 4th, 1:12pm</time><address><a>Jerry Donatien</a>Jerry Donatien has worked for ClutchPoints since 2018. He is currently the company's Charlotte Hornets reporter, and he also does voiceovers on different sports stories. He worked the NBA All-Star weekend in 2019 and 2023, the NCAA woman's tournament, and he interned with Beasley Media group.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>PUMA announced the release of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lamelo-ball-unveils-newest-signature-shoe-the-puma-mb-05">Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball’s fifth signature shoe</a> with their brand, the MB.05 World Tour. “Inspired by Ball’s rockstar status on and off the court,” PUMA said when announcing the <a href="https://x.com/JerryDonatien/status/1952426108869116226">end-of-August release</a>.</p><p>“Available in fluorescent pink with iridescent detailing throughout, including barbed wire as a nod to his iconic tattoos, this sneaker was made to stand out. Additional design features include a molded skull and a ‘1’ in the outsole, a nod to Ball’s one-of-one status. Finished with NITROFOAM™ cushioning for unwavering court supremacy, this shoe is a slam dunk with more bold colorways coming this fall.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Today, PUMA Hoops announces LaMelo Ball's 5th signature shoe, MB.05 World Tour. It's inspired by his rockstar status on and off the court. The detailing throughout the shoe include barbed wire as a nod to his tattoos.</p><p>The MB.05 World Tour hits stores August 29th retailing for… <a href="https://t.co/m61mHXbxOy">pic.twitter.com/m61mHXbxOy</a></p><p>— Jerry Donatien (@JerryDonatien) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryDonatien/status/1952426108869116226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“The MB.05 World Tour hits stores August 29th retailing for $125 at PUMA.com, the PUMA mobile app, the PUMA NYC Flagship store, Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, and other key retailers.”</p><p>This shoe release follows LaMelo Ball’s latest collaboration with PUMA and his own brand, “LaFrance,” which released a lifestyle shoe together. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celebrity/puma-lamelo-ball-announce-release-of-the-lafrance-rnr-flare-on-august-1st" rel="noopener">The LaFrancè RNR</a> is a mix of lifestyle running shoes, outdoor vibes, and Ball’s personal style. After a solid season in 2024-25, PUMA now rewards him with another signature shoe.</p><p>Ball is entering his sixth year with the Hornets and looking for a bounce-back season. After having it cut short due to injuries, the sneaker being named “World Tour” could be an auspicious premonition of what’s to come for his team. Ball can launch himself into the spotlight on the floor with his exciting play style, and he’ll be rocking the perfect shoes for it heading into the 2025-26 season.</p><p>Due to an injury, LaMelo Ball only played in 47 games in the 2024-25 season. When healthy, he’s proved he’s an offensive engine. He can score, create for others, and speed up the pace with the ball in his hands. He’s in the perfect position to prove he is capable of playing at an All-Star caliber level.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Puma announces release date, price of LaMelo Ball’s 5th signature shoe

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-brandon-miller-main-thing-glaring-issue-lamelo-ball');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets’ Brandon Miller shares ‘main thing’ amid glaring issue involving LaMelo Ball');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Brandon-Miller-shares-main-thing-amid-glaring-issue-involving-LaMelo-Ball.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets’ Brandon Miller shares ‘main thing’ amid glaring issue involving LaMelo Ball</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-29T05:48:52-07:00">July 29th, 5:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-29T05:48:52-07:00">July 29th, 5:48am</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The last time the Charlotte Hornets won a series in the playoffs, LaMelo Ball was only a year old, while Brandon Miller wasn’t even born yet. The Hornets beat the Orlando Magic in the first round in 2002 before succumbing to the New Jersey Nets in the conference semifinals.</p><p>Since then, the franchise has only qualified for the playoffs thrice, all ending in the opening round. The Hornets have the longest active drought in the NBA as they have missed the postseason for nine straight seasons.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-brandon-millers-injury-update-will-hype-fans-up-2025-26-nba-season">Miller is eager to turn things around in Charlotte</a>. But after an impressive rookie year, he hurt his right wrist last season, limiting him to just 27 games. His backcourt mate, Ball, meanwhile, only played 27 games due to various injuries.</p><p>While they form a talented duo, their inability to stay on the floor together has become a concern. The 22-year-old Miller said he is <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article311476077.html" rel="noopener">aware of the issue</a>.</p><p>“It’s always the main thing, you know, just keeping our bodies together. We know it’s a long season. Having us two on the floor can make a big difference (in having) a winning team,” said Miller in an interview with The Charlotte Observer’s Langston Wertz Jr.</p><p>The second overall pick in 2023, Miller played 74 games in his rookie campaign. Ball, however, only featured in 22 outings following an ankle surgery.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-tattoo-artist-admits-trolling-hot-chee-toes-post">Ball, who recently went viral over a tattoo joke</a>, has yet to regain the consistency that made him an All-Star in just his second year with the Hornets in 2022. It remains unclear if he will be ready before the new season.</p><p>Fortunately for Charlotte, which is coming from a 19-63 record, Miller is on the right track to recovery, saying his right wrist is “around 90-95%” ready.</p><p>“I started contact (drills). I’ll be ready the first day the season starts, and I’m just excited to get back out on the court with my guys,” added the Hornets guard, who averaged 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets’ Brandon Miller shares ‘main thing’ amid glaring issue involving LaMelo Ball

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-tattoo-artist-admits-trolling-hot-chee-toes-post');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets star LaMelo Ball’s tattoo artist admits to trolling with ‘Hot Chee Toes’ post');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/LaMelo-Ball-in-action.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets star LaMelo Ball’s tattoo artist admits to trolling with ‘Hot Chee Toes’ post</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-28T05:51:30-07:00">July 28th, 5:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-28T06:08:12-07:00">July 28th, 6:08am</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Charlotte Hornets recently made history by winning their first-ever title in the NBA Summer League, but somehow, it is the fiery <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-advice-baron-davis">story involving star LaMelo Ball</a> that has gotten more attention. In fact, it has been tattooed on everyone’s mind.</p><p>With that lame pun out of the way, a tattoo artist based in California posted a picture of Ball’s supposedly new ink. He called it “Hot Chee Toes” as a reference to the popular snack. It’s one of those things that <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DMnjUXlzwMl/?img_index=2&amp;igsh=MTd4b2M5OWo0dXR6cQ%3D%3D" rel="noopener">you need to see </a>to believe.</p><p>But sorry to burst everyone’s bubble, it wasn’t actually Ball’s foot. The Hornets guard’s tattoo artist, Elvis Ramos, came clean on Instagram and said <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMni-oTsjuw/" rel="noopener">they were just joking around</a>.</p><p>“We tattooed LaMelo Ball. But those ‘Hot Chee Toes,’ those were not on Melo. We were just trolling. The original artist is actually out of California also, but nah, we didn’t do that on Melo,” said Ramos in a video.</p><p>“We did do a leg sleeve on Melo. We will be posting that soon. But yeah, we were just trolling, man. The internet is crazy, bro.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lamelo <a href="https://twitter.com/MELOD1P?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MELOD1P</a>  reveal lol. <br>–<br>Did he really get this fire hot chee toes?! <a href="https://t.co/e2hc4ie2H3">pic.twitter.com/e2hc4ie2H3</a></p><p>— inkEEZY (@iamELVIStattoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamELVIStattoo/status/1949706753328963661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Ramos regularly shares his work on the 23-year-old Ball on Instagram, where he has over 20,000 followers.</p><p>Unfortunately, many were fooled by his previous post and immediately clowned the Hornets star. But as the great Abraham Lincoln once said: Don’t believe everything you see on the internet.</p><p>With the new season approaching, fans of the Hornets can only hope that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-why-lamelo-ball-remains-committed-charlotte-trade-rumors">Ball can stay longer on the court</a> than at a tattoo shop. Due to a spate of injuries, he’s only played a total of 105 games in the last three seasons.</p><p>If he can stay healthy, he might regain his All-Star form and lead the Hornets, along with Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller, and Kon Kneuppel. The team hasn’t been to the playoffs for nine straight years—the longest active drought in the NBA.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets star LaMelo Ball’s tattoo artist admits to trolling with ‘Hot Chee Toes’ post

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/sneakers/lamelo-ball-unveils-newest-signature-shoe-the-puma-mb-05');   ga('set', 'title', 'LaMelo Ball unveils newest signature shoe, the PUMA MB.05');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/LaMelo-Ball-unveils-newest-signature-shoe-the-PUMA-MB.05.jpg"></figure><h1>LaMelo Ball unveils newest signature shoe, the PUMA MB.05</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-15T13:44:13-07:00">July 15th, 1:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-15T13:44:59-07:00">July 15th, 1:44pm</time><address><a>Dominik Zawartko</a>Dominik Zawartko is a Michigan State graduate with a degree in Political Science and English. Having previously worked in the nonprofit and legal sectors, he decided to pursue his true love of writing with ClutchPoints. Dominik's hobbies include painting, cooking food, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and always having a laugh. His main focus areas are UFC coverage and all things sneakers.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Following a tough end to the 2024-25 NBA season, Charlotte Hornets All-Star Guard LaMelo Ball is anxiously waiting to return and prove himself once again on the biggest stage. He’s undoubtedly one of the more talented scorers in the game today and it will be interesting to see how this crop of incoming talent can enhance their roster. Recently, Ball promoted the debut of his latest signature sneaker, the PUMA MB.05, releasing soon.</p><p><i><b>Check our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers">Sneakers news</a> for more upcoming releases and breaking content!</b></i></p><p>LaMelo Ball signed with PUMA Basketball back in 2020 in a surprising move, forgoing the route of Nike or Adidas and opting for full creative control of his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/lamelo-ball-puma-unveil-the-newest-puma-mb-04">signature line over at PUMA</a>. Already five signature basketball sneakers in, Ball is also releasing lifestyle and utility silhouettes through his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celebrity/puma-lamelo-ball-announce-release-of-the-lafrance-rnr-flare-on-august-1st">“LaFrance” subsidiary line</a>.</p><p>Sharing the newest signature model on his social media, LaMelo Ball will rock the newest PUMA MB.05 during the upcoming NBA season. The first colorway, appearing in a vibrant pink, is a perfect combo for the Hornets’ uniforms and Ball’s loud play on the court.</p><h2>PUMA MB.05</h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LaMelo Ball revealed his upcoming fifth signature shoe, the PUMA MB.05 🕺 <a href="https://twitter.com/MELOD1P?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MELOD1P</a> <a href="https://t.co/iz208xaf6W">pic.twitter.com/iz208xaf6W</a></p><p>— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) <a href="https://twitter.com/nicekicks/status/1944089942864355713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Official Images: Lamelo Ball x PUMA MB.05 🦋</p><p>See More: <a href="https://t.co/999LdEXxIK">https://t.co/999LdEXxIK</a> <a href="https://t.co/t1cN5qRNnY">pic.twitter.com/t1cN5qRNnY</a></p><p>— House of Heat° (@houseofheat) <a href="https://twitter.com/houseofheat/status/1944509695827353810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><br>The debut colorway, arriving in pink and reflective pearl hues, is a wild culmination of Ball’s signature line up to this point. We see intricate textures throughout each aspect of the uppers, from the feathery toebox to the metallic ankle collar. The shoes will also feature a dual midfoot strap attached to the front of the eyelet panel, a truly unique feature that isn’t seen anywhere else.</p></figure><p>The shoes also feature Ball’s “1” and “1 of 1” written several times throughout the shoe. The silver synthetic panels have a natural sheen to them, adding to the already busy ensemble of the pink panels. Finally, we see the “Melo” logos along the back heel to finish the look.</p><p>The PUMA MB.05 is expected to release sometime during the fall season of 2025. While there’s no official word on a release date, LaMelo Ball teasing these to the public is a positive sign that they’re ready to drop. The retail price is yet to be announced, but we can expect something in the ballpark of $120 given the previous MB.04 retails for $115.</p><p>What are your thoughts on LaMelo Ball’s newest sneakers?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LaMelo Ball unveils newest signature shoe, the PUMA MB.05

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-advice-baron-davis');   ga('set', 'title', 'LaMelo Ball gets major advice from Baron Davis');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/LaMelo-Ball.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>LaMelo Ball gets major advice from Baron Davis</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-14T19:25:26-07:00">July 14th, 7:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-14T19:25:26-07:00">July 14th, 7:25pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When it comes to the top point guards in the NBA, one name that probably doesn’t get a lot of traction is Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball. Numbers-wise, Ball has been on par with the best guards in the league, there’s only been a couple of problems. One, the Hornets have not had much regular season success, and two, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-undergoes-multiple-season-ending-injury-procedures">Ball has missed a lot of time due to injury</a>. But to get his name firmly in that conversation next season, LaMelo Ball got a little advice from a former Hornets star in Baron Davis.</p><p>During a recent appearance on Paul George’s podcast, ‘Podcast P with Paul George,’ presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment, Baron Davis <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1944932165365719378?t=HPztiFffOAcXKFtuUU8llw&amp;s=19" rel="noopener">laid out his advice</a> to Ball coming into the 2025-26 season.</p><p>“LaMelo needs to have a goal going into the season. ‘I’m gonna be the top point guard coming out at the end of the season, I’m gonna play 82 games or whatnot, and I’m gonna get my team to the playoffs,’” Davis said. “LaMelo needs stability around him. When you’re trying to win, you got to have some people that stabilize the consistency every day.”</p><p>“I think they don’t have, to me, the right mix of veterans, good players and young talented players that have the ability to over-index,” Davis continued. “And that’s why it’s hard for somebody as talented as LaMelo, because what is his direction?”</p><p>The No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Ball has played five seasons to this point and was selected to the 2022 NBA All-Star team. Not coincidently, Ball’s All-Star season was the last time the Hornets had a winning record. That season was also the most amount of games he’s played in at 75. Since 2021-22, he has not cracked over 47 games in a single season.</p><p>This past season, Ball appeared in 47 games at just about 32 minutes per game. He averaged 25.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 40.5 percent shooting from the field, 33.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 84.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line. His points per game was actually a career-high.</p><p>Both Davis and George brought up valid points in that it’s a combination of Ball’s on-court focus and the Hornets’ team building that’s played a role in how the outside world’s opinion of him has been shaped. The Hornets did bring in a couple of solid veterans in Mason Plumlee, Spencer Dinwiddie and Pat Connaughton, and they added an explosive option alongside Ball in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/hornets-news-charlotte-acquires-collin-sexton-jazz-jusuf-nurkic">trading for Collin Sexton</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LaMelo Ball gets major advice from Baron Davis

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celebrity/lamelo-balls-inner-lavar-showing-on-kai-cenat-stream');   ga('set', 'title', 'LaMelo Ball’s inner LaVar showing on Kai Cenat stream');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/LaMelo-Balls-inner-LaVar-showing-on-Kai-Cenat-stream.jpg"></figure><h1>LaMelo Ball’s inner LaVar showing on Kai Cenat stream</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-09T09:22:00-07:00">July 9th, 9:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-09T09:22:00-07:00">July 9th, 9:22am</time><address><a href="http://designsux.com">Burtland Dixon</a>As an avid enthusiast of entertainment, Burtland Dixon is a passionate individual who revels in the magic of movies, sports, music, and pop culture. Whether it's catching the latest blockbuster, watching the marquee matchup of the week, attending live concerts, or getting immersed in the world of gaming, Burtland finds joy in all forms of entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LaMelo Ball pulled up to Kai Cenat’s livestream and gave fans a full dose of charisma, unfiltered talk, and signature Ball family energy. For those keeping track, this wasn’t just a typical NBA offseason appearance. This was LaMelo stepping into his own spotlight, sounding a lot like his dad, LaVar, in the best and wildest ways possible.</p><p>Cenat’s stream has become a playground for entertainers, athletes, and viral personalities. On this night, LaMelo Ball slid in with confidence. He accepted a shooting challenge to hit 10 three-pointers in a row and came incredibly close, draining 9 of them. The energy shifted when LaMelo stood next to Kai for a playful height check. With more than a foot difference between them, LaMelo towered over the streamer and flexed a bit. Kai, caught off guard, laughed and said, “I respect you, but respect me too,” more or less. It was all jokes, but the big bro vibe was undeniable.</p><h2><b>The Ball blueprint, now with a LaMelo remix</b></h2><p>The real LaVar moment came when LaMelo launched into a spontaneous, passionate speech. It felt like a mix of locker room motivation, spiritual sermon, and neighborhood wisdom. “It be ups, it be downs. When you’re down, the only way is up,” he said. “Did a lot of things in my life, but they never gave a f***. That’s wise words. If you know, you know. If you don’t, you broke.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LaMelo Ball delivered a motivational speech on Kai Cenat’s stream. 🕺🏽🛸💕</p><p>☝️ “It be ups, it be downs. When you’re down, the only way is up…” <a href="https://t.co/VIx7nBZuY8">pic.twitter.com/VIx7nBZuY8</a></p><p>— r/CharlotteHornets on Reddit (@HornetsReddit) <a href="https://twitter.com/HornetsReddit/status/1942789418760224799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>He didn’t stop there. LaMelo encouraged viewers to check on their loved ones, to keep faith, and to never fold under pressure. “All praise to God, He’s always the best. Keep going. You got tomorrow. The next day. You got your family. Your brothers. Check on your family, all the peoples. I tap in every day.”</p><p>By the end, he had high-fived everyone in the room, including his brother Lonzo Ball, who was recently traded from the Bulls to the Cavaliers. He signed off with a final message for the stream: “Don’t let nobody f*** your s*** up. Just be you, gang, and let it rock.”</p><p>With training camp just around the corner, LaMelo Ball reminded everyone that his game isn’t just on the court. It’s also in the way he carries his people, his message, and himself.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LaMelo Ball’s inner LaVar showing on Kai Cenat stream

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celebrity/puma-lamelo-ball-announce-release-of-the-lafrance-rnr-flare-on-august-1st');   ga('set', 'title', 'PUMA, LaMelo Ball announce release of “The LaFrancé RNR Flare” on August 1st');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PUMA-LaMelo-Ball-announce-release-of-The-LaFrance-RNR-Flare-on-August-1st.jpg"></figure><h1>PUMA, LaMelo Ball announce release of “The LaFrancé RNR Flare” on August 1st</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-07T13:01:13-07:00">July 7th, 1:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-07T13:01:13-07:00">July 7th, 1:01pm</time><address><a>Jerry Donatien</a>Jerry Donatien has worked for ClutchPoints since 2018. He is currently the company's Charlotte Hornets reporter, and he also does voiceovers on different sports stories. He worked the NBA All-Star weekend in 2019 and 2023, the NCAA woman's tournament, and he interned with Beasley Media group.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>PUMA and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-why-lamelo-ball-remains-committed-charlotte-trade-rumors">Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball’s</a> lifestyle and fashion brand, LaFranće, have announced their collaboration on a new sneaker design today that takes design cues from lifestyle running shoes, dystopian outdoor vibes, and Ball’s energetic personal style.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">PUMA announced a new chapter for LaMelo Ball’s LaFrancé brand with the LaFrancé RNR. The design is a mix of lifestyle running shoes, outdoor vibes, and Ball’s personal style.</p><p>The LaFrancé RNR Flare hits shelves on August 1st and will be priced at $120 on <a href="https://t.co/MtzJ8wEbbm">https://t.co/MtzJ8wEbbm</a>,… <a href="https://t.co/xfKgUneQQU">pic.twitter.com/xfKgUneQQU</a></p><p>— Jerry Donatien (@JerryDonatien) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryDonatien/status/1942252540646600764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>PUMA announced in the release, “Created in collaboration with Melo’s lifestyle brand LaFrancé, the newest star in the Museum of Heem is the LaFrancé RNR. The all-new lifestyle sneaker makes its debut in the Flare colorway, an earth-toned style covered in topographic details. An artifact of unlimited potential, the RNR proves without doubt that Melo is Not From Here.”</p><p>“The LaFrancé RNR Flare hits shelves on August 1st and will retail for $120 at the PUMA Flagship store, PUMA.com, Foot Locker, Champs, JD Sports, and Snipes,” Puma said.</p><p>Since 2020, Ball has been a part of the PUMA basketball division and has become the face of the brand. With four signature shoes to his name, Ball’s sneaker designs have remained expressive, just like his play style on the court. His shoes have featured things like “RARE” or “NOT FROM HERE,” which is inspired from the tattoos Ball has.</p><p>PUMA has also collaborated with several other brands in the past for some of LaMelo Ball’s signature <a href="https://x.com/nicekicks/status/1882084113303376072" rel="noopener">shoes in the past</a>. Fortnite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Scooby-Doo just to name a few. So PUMA pairing up with their signature athlete’s own personal brand seemed inevitable.</p><p>Ball launched LaFranće ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft before the Hornets selected him. Having done apparel collaborations before with PUMA, the two parties are more than familiar with one another. More potential shoe collaborations could be on the way in the near future. The LaFrancé RNR Flare could just be the tip of the iceberg.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

PUMA, LaMelo Ball announce release of “The LaFrancé RNR Flare” on August 1st

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-key-lamelo-ball-backup-tre-mann-lands-24-million-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Key LaMelo Ball backup lands $24 million contract with Hornets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Tre-Mann-of-the-Charlotte-Hornets.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Key LaMelo Ball backup lands $24 million contract with Hornets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-01T17:16:10-07:00">July 1st, 5:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-01T17:16:10-07:00">July 1st, 5:16pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-rumors-charlotte-targeting-move-lamelo-bell-love">Charlotte Hornets managed to maintain</a> a core piece of the roster in free agency on Tuesday. Reports indicate that backup point guard Tre Mann is here to stay with the organization and is likely to remain as a key option off the bench behind LaMelo Ball.</p><p>Mann is <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1940190493494915242" rel="noopener">signing a three-year, $24 million contract</a> with the Hornets, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The plan is for the 24-year-old guard to provide solid depth at the guard position while he continues to develop his game.</p><p>“Free agent guard Tre Mann has agreed to a three-year, $24 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets, sources tell ESPN. Hornets officials and Mann’s agent, Aaron Turner of Verus Sports, negotiated terms of the new contract in free agency.”</p><p>Mann will be entering the fifth year of his career once the 2025-26 campaign begins. He was initially traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Hornets in the 2023-24 season. But last year proved to be the best of his career so far. Serving as Ball’s backup, Mann came off the bench and averaged 14.1 points (career-high), 2.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. He also shot 43.5% from the floor and 40.0% from beyond the arc (career-high).</p><p>The Hornets are hoping that Mann can take another step in development, especially as a scorer. If he can, then Charlotte will have a solid sixth man coming off the bench to support the starting lineup, which will likely consist of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, this year’s No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, and second-round pick Ryan Kalkbrenner. That’s assuming Kalkbrenner wins the starting job in training camp.</p><p>Center is the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/3-reasons-why-hornets-must-pursue-deandre-ayton-after-blazers-buyout">glaring weakness on the Hornets’ roster</a>. If the front office can find a solution, then Charlotte could be much improved next season after ending the 2024-25 campaign with a 19-63 record. At the very least, the club is already shaping up to be solid in nearly every other position, especially after re-signing Tre Mann to a new contract.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Key LaMelo Ball backup lands $24 million contract with Hornets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-rumors-charlotte-all-ears-lamelo-ball-other-player-trades');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets rumors: Charlotte ‘all ears’ on LaMelo Ball, other player trades');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LaMelo-Ball-of-the-Charlotte-Hornets.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets rumors: Charlotte ‘all ears’ on LaMelo Ball, other player trades</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-23T12:20:22-07:00">June 23rd, 12:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-23T12:20:48-07:00">June 23rd, 12:20pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/thunders-championship-rebuild-inspire-hornets">Charlotte Hornets own the No. 4 pick overall</a> in the NBA Draft. Rumors are swirling that the organization is open to making some trades this offseason. However, how available is star point guard LaMelo Ball? With rumors running rampant, it appears ESPN’s Shams Charania believes Charlotte should pull the trigger on any massive offer it receives.</p><p>During a guest appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Charania <a href="https://x.com/ESPNNBA/status/1937208370471038995" rel="noopener">admitted that he has not heard</a> of any trade rumors regarding LaMelo Ball for the Hornets. However, he did admit that if a team were to offer a mega deal to Charlotte for the 23-year-old star, then the organization should highly consider accepting it.</p><p>“If a team calls the Hornets and makes a massive offer … I mean if you’re the Hornets, you have to be all ears at that point.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShamsCharania</a> tells <a href="https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PatMcAfeeShow</a> he has heard no LaMelo Ball trade rumors, but the Hornets should be open to anything 😅 </p><p>"If a team calls the Hornets and makes a massive offer … I mean if you're the Hornets you have to be all ears at that point." <a href="https://t.co/FJ6it3URVk">pic.twitter.com/FJ6it3URVk</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1937208370471038995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Although Ball may not be available, other players like Mark Williams are rumored to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/siegels-scoop-how-kevin-durant-trade-saga-impacts-draft-free-agency-rumors">be on the Hornets’ trade block</a>, per insider Brett Siegel. The No. 4 pick could be available depending on what the Philadelphia 76ers do at No. 3. Additionally, Charlotte is said to be in active trade talks regarding Williams. Interest in prospect Jeremiah Fears is also a rumored reason why teams want to trade up to No. 4 with the Hornets.</p><p>“League sources signal the Hornets have actively been engaged in trade conversations with others eyeing the fourth pick in anticipation of the 76ers passing on Bailey. There also seems to be a potential pre-draft war breaking out between the Wizards, Pelicans, and Nets over Jeremiah Fears, who is widely viewed as the second-best guard in the draft behind Harper.</p><p>“While they may hold interest in Bailey, these three teams also have Fears high on their draft boards, sources said. Trading up to the fourth pick with Charlotte would potentially give these organizations a choice between Fears and Bailey, as the Hornets could comfortably move down a few spots and still end up with the player they want. Mark Williams continues to come up in trade discussions around the league, and it seems like a matter of time before the Hornets move him.”</p><p>The NBA Draft kicks off on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST. We may not know exactly what the Hornets do until then, but this organization should remain hot in the rumor mill throughout the offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets rumors: Charlotte ‘all ears’ on LaMelo Ball, other player trades

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-lamelo-ball-teammate-josh-green-shoulder-surgery');   ga('set', 'title', 'LaMelo Ball’s key Hornets teammate undergoes shoulder surgery');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/LaMelo-Ball-brings-down-the-ball.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>LaMelo Ball’s key Hornets teammate undergoes shoulder surgery</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-20T14:10:55-07:00">June 20th, 2:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-20T14:10:55-07:00">June 20th, 2:10pm</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Charlotte Hornets are heading into the offseason off the back of a disastrous campaign. Despite a young, talented core, they suffered through a 19-63 regular season after multiple key players missed considerable time.</p><p>This included <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-brandon-miller-gives-inside-scoop-on-most-important-part-of-injury-rehab">the likes of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams</a>, which played a major role in their season derailing. Now with a cleaner slate, Charles Lee’s team is currently still in transition, and even play-in contention next season will be seen as a major achievement.</p><p>However, they have already been handed their first injury update, with Josh Green undergoing shoulder surgery for an injury he picked up in the latter stages of the regular season. According to an official statement on the team’s X, formerly Twitter, handle, Green <a href="https://x.com/hornets/status/1936140758719095154" rel="noopener">was suffering from instability in his left shoulder</a> and has undergone surgery for the same.</p><p>“OFFICIAL: Josh Green underwent surgery to address instability in his left shoulder. Green is expected to make a full recovery,” the statement read.</p><p>While the player is expected to make a full recovery, no timeline on his return has been set as of yet. The Australian forward missed seven of his team’s final nine games in the regular season last campaign due to the shoulder injury. He now has four months to recover before the Hornets’ training camp commences on October 1.</p><p>In what was his first season for the Hornets, Green averaged 7.4 points, 1.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. He shot at a healthy 39.1% from the 3-point zone with an overall 54.3% efficiency, starting a total of 67 games.</p><p>Green was brought in from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/3-reasons-josh-green-perfect-hornets">Dallas in a historic six-team sign and trade</a>, and is owed $28.3 million over the next two years of his contract with Charlotte. While the general timeline after shoulder surgery suggests that Green may be fit in time to return before training camp commences, further updates about his rehabilitation can be expected in the coming weeks. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LaMelo Ball’s key Hornets teammate undergoes shoulder surgery

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-rumors-espn-nba-mock-draft-creates-lamelo-ball-dylan-harper-backcourt');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets rumors: ESPN NBA Mock Draft creates LaMelo Ball-Dylan Harper backcourt');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Rutgers-guard-Dylan-Harper.jpg"><figcaption>© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets rumors: ESPN NBA Mock Draft creates LaMelo Ball-Dylan Harper backcourt</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-10T12:46:36-07:00">June 10th, 12:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-10T12:46:36-07:00">June 10th, 12:46pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Charlotte Hornets secured the fourth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after the lottery. In a class <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/2025-nba-mock-draft-76ers-ace-bailey-third-pick-dilemma">led by Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, and Dylan Harper</a>, experts are curious as to how things will go down on June 25. One ESPN expert put together a mock draft that saw Hornets general manager Jeff Peterson select Harper with the fourth pick, pairing him with former All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball.</p><p>Ball and the Hornets were hampered by injuries last season. They ended with a record of 19-63 after entering the year as one of the league’s more interesting teams. However, Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams all showed flashes throughout the season, making this draft an important one. Charlotte has a talented young core, and ESPN’s Jonathan Givony thinks that Harper’s fit on the team <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45470775/2025-nba-mock-draft-debating-30-round-1-picks-need-value-cooper-flagg" rel="noopener">is a good one</a>.</p><p>“The Hornets would surely love to add Harper’s downhill driving, foul-drawing and strong interior finishing prowess to a big backcourt with a 6-foot-7 LaMelo Ball, who is highly capable of playing alongside another shot creator,” Givony said.</p><p>If they take Harper with the fourth pick in the draft, the Hornets’ backcourt becomes interesting. In Givony’s hypothetical, the Hornets’ starting five would be Ball, Harper, Miller, Miles Bridges, and Williams. If that group can stay on the court, they could make some noise in a wide open Eastern Conference.</p><p>However, a backcourt led by Ball might not be in Charlotte’s long-term plans. There have been rumors that he wants to move to a contending team. His older brother, Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball, wants <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-lonzo-ball-wants-to-see-lamelo-ball-traded-la">the Hornets to trade him to the Los Angeles Clippers</a>.</p><p>Regardless of which way they end up going, Harper is one of the best options at No. 4. Hitting on such a high pick is crucial to a rebuilding team. If the former Rutgers guard can come in and have an impact, Charlotte’s expectations vary wildly.</p><p>Before an offseason that experts expect to be crazy, the Hornets have a big decision to make. Givony believes that Harper is the answer and could lead the team into their future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets rumors: ESPN NBA Mock Draft creates LaMelo Ball-Dylan Harper backcourt

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-rumors-insider-speculates-bombshell-trades-build-around-lamelo-ball');   ga('set', 'title', 'RUMOR: Insider speculates on bombshell Hornets trades to build around LaMelo Ball');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Hornets-duo-LaMelo-Ball-and-Brandon-Miller.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>RUMOR: Insider speculates on bombshell Hornets trades to build around LaMelo Ball</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-02T16:49:22-07:00">June 2nd, 4:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-02T16:50:59-07:00">June 2nd, 4:50pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Charlotte Hornets fans entered the 2024-25 NBA campaign with low expectations but a decent amount of optimism, for they recognized the profusion of promise that permeated the roster. Once again, though, a rash of injuries and offensive deficiencies prevented the franchise from making any worthwhile progress. The squad could not even receive the full privileges of a 19-63 record, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/2025-nba-draft-lottery-winners-losers-after-mavericks-no-1-pick">unable to secure the rights to a phenom</a> at the NBA Draft Lottery.</p><p>Sound familiar? This nauseating dose of deja vu is devastating enough to bring the Hornets to their knees. However, if they can look through the fog, which admittedly extends deep into the Spectrum Center, the front office might be able to devise a viable long-term plan. There is little time to waste, though.</p><p>NBA insider Kevin O’Connor <a href="https://x.com/HornetsReddit/status/1929618991112507816" rel="noopener">outlines a potential blueprint</a> that president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson can draw up and put into action.</p><p>“The Hornets, they’re interesting,” he said on “The Kevin O’Connor Show,” via CharlotteHornets on Reddit. “They have 10 future first-round picks. They have 11 future second-round picks. They have a ton of youth on their team—good youth. They have tradable salaries. LaMelo Ball is a former All-Star. I know he’s always hurt, but he is an All-Star caliber player. He is nearing the prime of his career. They have new owners. They have a new front office. There is incentive.”</p><p>“The Hornets, quietly, to me, if they wanted to trade the #4 pick for your first star and then trade some young guys and a bunch of future picks for your second star, pairing them with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, something could happen in Charlotte if they wanted it to happen.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">🎙️ <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KevinOConnorNBA</a> sees big potential for the Charlotte Hornets to make bold moves. 🤔</p><p>"The Hornets are interesting. They have 10 future first-round picks. They have 11 future second-round picks. They have a ton of youth on their team—good youth. They have tradable salaries.… <a href="https://t.co/y5bAC2OwfH">pic.twitter.com/y5bAC2OwfH</a></p><p>— r/CharlotteHornets on Reddit (@HornetsReddit) <a href="https://twitter.com/HornetsReddit/status/1929618991112507816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>How much longer will it take for Hornets to get back on their feet?</b></h2><p>Charlotte has much to consider ahead of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-rumors-charlotte-vj-edgecombe-favorite-lamelo-ball-nba-draft">2025 NBA Draft</a>, which gets underway on Wednesday, June 25. It is unclear exactly how the trade market will shake out, but the league is bracing itself for a bonkers offseason. If Peterson wishes to utilize the team’s abundance of assets, he can potentially accelerate the Hornets’ competitive timetable by a sizable degree.</p><p>Ball needs to improve his jump shot, but he is a lethal playmaker. Miller has similar adjustments to make, but he has the length and skill set to evolve into an impactful wing. Those are two solid pieces to work with moving forward, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-brandon-miller-gives-inside-scoop-on-most-important-part-of-injury-rehab">if they can stay healthy</a>, of course — combined to play just 74 games last season. Surrounding them with established talent can help them move closer to their respective potential and give fans a watchable basketball product.</p><p>When considering alternative options, the Hornets may deem it more logical and humane to take a proactive approach this summer. No matter what happens, though, they must move with purpose. The city deserves that much.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RUMOR: Insider speculates on bombshell Hornets trades to build around LaMelo Ball

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-rumors-charlotte-vj-edgecombe-favorite-lamelo-ball-nba-draft');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets rumors: The ‘favorite’ at No. 4 to be next LaMelo Ball co-star');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/LaMelo-Ball-dribbles-the-basketball-during-Knicks-Hornets-game.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets rumors: The ‘favorite’ at No. 4 to be next LaMelo Ball co-star</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-30T07:52:48-07:00">May 30th, 7:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-30T07:52:48-07:00">May 30th, 7:52am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Charlotte <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/hornets-jarrett-allen-trade-idea-after-cavaliers-postseason-failure">Hornets are looking to build around</a> their current core of players. The core — led by LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller — certainly features potential. Charlotte has the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, so <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets-3-best-options-no-4-pick-2025-nba-draft">who will the Hornets select</a>?</p><p>A recent mock draft from Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports has VJ Edgecombe out of Baylor <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/draft/?filter=round%3Aall&amp;view=default&amp;board=0" rel="noopener">landing in</a> Charlotte.</p><p>“Edgecombe had an excellent interview with the Hornets, league sources say,” the mock draft article states. “And while there are no locks he’ll be the pick, plenty of executives believe he’s the favorite if he makes it to the fourth pick.”</p><h2><b>Will Hornets select VJ Edgecombe in 2025 NBA Draft?</b></h2><p>The 19-year-old has indeed been mentioned as a potential top five pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Charlotte was surely hoping to end up with one of the top three selections, but the idea of selecting Edgecombe at No. 4 overall should appeal to them.</p><p>Edgecombe, a 6’5″ guard, averaged 15 points per game on 43.6 percent field goal and 34 percent three-point shooting during the 2024-25 campaign with Baylor basketball. He also recorded 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per outing.</p><p>He is unquestionably ready for the NBA level after just one season in college. The only remaining question is where he will end up in the draft. Nothing is guaranteed and Edgecombe could end up falling out of the top five. That seems fairly unlikely given his current game and high ceiling, though.</p><p>The Hornets could develop a big three around LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and VJ Edgecombe. Charlotte wants to contend sooner rather than later amid a current rebuild, and Edgecombe could help the Hornets take the next step.</p><p>The 2025 NBA Draft will be especially interesting for this Hornets team. VJ Edgecombe is going to be a player to monitor for Hornets fans on Wednesday, June 25.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
25.2	4.9	7.4	0.3	1.1

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
25.2	4.9	7.4	0.3	1.1

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