Crosscourt column: NBL ‘open arms’ to LaMelo Ball as dad speaks out on missed opportunity

Ball senior didn’t hold back, urging LaMelo’s representatives to spend more time Down Under to further grow his son’s building $400 million brand.

He believes his youngest boy – now the Charlotte Hornets’ starting guard – would benefit from camps in Australia and also investing in a team or the NBL as a league.

“I speak the truth and LaMelo should have been over here to Australia a long time ago,” Ball senior told Code Sports about his son LaMelo, who averaged 17 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.9 assists on his way to winning the NBL’s Rookie of the Year award while playing with the Illawarra Hawks in 2020.

“He left a great impression in Australia, but he hasn’t done anything over here and not because he doesn’t want to.

“That is why I’m a great representation for LaMelo to come to Australia because I’m here now and I’ve seen all the kids wearing his jersey.

“He could invest in the league and you never know he could find another young player that reminds him of himself.

“Also if you want to be an owner of an NBA team you have to be a billionaire, but you don’t need to be a billionaire to own a team in the NBL and I’ve told him ownership can set him up for life after basketball as well.

“LaMelo did a good thing to bring attention to the NBL. Now other players, including NBA players, look to the league as well as a career path or option.

“The NBL Next Stars is also one of the hottest programs in the world, probably alongside France.

“I only have fantastic memories of how well you guys treated my son and that is a major reason why I’m back here in Australia.”

LaVar was recently in Australia for a host of speaking events, while he attended multiple games, including the Throwdown between Melbourne United and the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

NBL boss Larry Kestelman will be forever grateful for how LaMelo Ball helped to put Australian hoops on the map during his season with the Hawks.

Kestelman told Code Sports his door is open if anyone from the Ball family wants to talk about a role for their NBA star son.

“LaMelo will always be a special part of the NBL story,” Kestelman said.

“If he and his family want a bigger presence here, even through potential investment, we’d welcome that conversation with open arms. The Ball family has had a profound impact on Australian basketball, and their continued involvement would only strengthen the league.”

PELICANS DONE . . . NOW FOR GIDDEY AND DANIELS

The NBL’s most successful coach Brian Goorjian wants officials to lure home grown stars Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels to play NBA games on Australian soil.

Fresh off the historic success of the New Orleans Pelicans’ matches in Melbourne, Goorjian urged powerbrokers to lean in on Giddey (Chicago) and Daniels (Atlanta) as the next instalment of NBA action Down Under.

He believes the Boomers duo are the ultimate role models for aspiring Aussie basketballers to emulate and also chase their hoop dreams.

“I’m over the moon about having New Orleans or any NBA team here, but the hallmark would be having Giddey and Daniels on the floor here – two of our own playing at that level would be incredible for our game,” Goorjian said.

“If Nike in Australia is going to endorse an athlete – unlike past years – they won’t just go after an AFL player – they’ll go after Giddey or Daniels.

“That is the difference we (basketball) has moved to and those two guys are players we want to promote to keep the youth coming through.

“The more the kids are seeing Giddey and Daniels the better because they have generated a real passion and road for the kids to follow.”

When Goorjian moved to Australia in 1977, basketball wasn’t even on the radar, let alone the pipedream of having an NBA team play Down Under.

Today, Australian basketball is booming as one of the country’s fastest growing sports.

And the NBA – as shown at a sold-out Rod Laver Arena for the Pelicans’ two exhibition games – is hugely popular Down Under.

RETURN OF THE BIG MAN 

Guards have dominated the NBL’s awards in recent seasons – led by modern day little master Bryce Cotton – but as a basketball purest there is nothing better than a big man dominating a game in the paint.

Readers will remember the monumental impact Andrew Bogut had on the league after returning from the NBA with the Sydney Kings from 2018/2020.

Bogut’s ability to control the tempo from the post with his pinpoint passing and elite vision was a sight to behold.

In NBL26, we’re seeing the return of some good fashioned centres going at it on the big stage.

This was on display in Perth on Thursday when Wildcats recruit Jo Lual-Acuil Jr took on Illawarra’s three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee.

The pair put on a show in the west, with McGee dropping a dominant 26 points and 14 rebounds and Lual-Acuil Jr adding 22 points and three rebounds.

CAMERON A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK

Adelaide 36ers recruit Flynn Cameron has basketball greatness in his blood as the son of a FIBA Hall of Famer, but he is a quality player in his own right.

Cameron – whose father Pero is a New Zealand hoops great – has made a successful move from Melbourne United to the Sixers this season.

He excelled in Adelaide’s big win over Cairns on Thursday night, dropping 20 points and adding four rebounds and four assists.

Cameron looked comfortable starting in the backcourt alongside star 36ers signing Bryce Cotton against the Taipans.

The duo combined for 48 of Adelaide’s 110 points and will only get better with the more time they spend on the court together.

One thing is clear – Cameron is set for a bumper NBL26 season with the Sixers based on his promising start.

KINGS HOLD FIRE ON ADDING BIG MAN DEPTH

Sydney Kings have no immediate plans to add front-court depth to the roster, with coach Brian Goorjian confirming he will focus on the players he has.

In an ideal world the Kings would sign another big man after losing Keli Leaupepe and Jason Spurgin to season-ending injuries.

This requires Sydney officials to spend – which at this stage isn’t happening based off Goorjian’s post-game comments after Saturday’s win over the New Zealand Breakers.

“I’m not actively doing anything there right now,” Goorjian said.

“I brought Hunter Goodrick in as a backup for Keli (Leaupepe) and investing in the young guys that we’ve got.

“I haven’t picked up the phone and entertained anyone at the moment.”

On a positive note for the Kings, gun recruit Kendric Davis had the ball on a string and the crowd on its feet clapping as he produced a masterclass in a much needed win over New Zealand on Saturday.

In a scrappy game, Davis blew the match open with his silky shooting and fleet-footed brilliance to send the Breakers packing.

Last season’s MVP candidate finished with a game-high 28 points while he added four assists and one steal.