LaMelo Ball’s answer to a pre-draft interview question leading up to the 2020 NBA draft reportedly raised some eyebrows among those in the Minnesota Timberwolves front office.
During an appearance this week on The Ringer’s Zach Lowe Show, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (h/t HoopsHype) provided some insight into why the Timberwolves selected Anthony Edwards with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft rather than Ball:
“There were a million different reasons [why the T-Wolves picked Edwards] in their evaluation,” Krawczynski said. “But one of them was that they had an interview with LaMelo Ball during this process—trying to figure out, ‘Hey, is this the guy for us?’ And LaMelo … did not interview very well. One of the questions they asked him was: ‘Hey LaMelo, after you’re done playing, what do you see yourself doing? What kind of things do you aspire to?’ And LaMelo said, ‘I want to be President of the United States.'”
Despite being passed over as the No. 1 overall pick, Ball didn’t have to wait much longer to hear his name called, as he went third to the Charlotte Hornets.
Statistically, Ball has had a solid career thus far, averaging 21.1 points, 7.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 three-pointers made and 1.5 steals per game over six NBA seasons.
He was also the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020-21, and he was named an All-Star for the first and only time in his second season.
However, injuries limited Ball to 51 or fewer games played in four of his first five seasons, and the Hornets have yet to reach the playoffs during his tenure.
Ball’s performance and off-the-court aspirations notwithstanding, there is little doubt that the Timberwolves made the right choice when they took Edwards.
Six years into his career, Edwards is a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection with a career scoring average of 23.9 points per game. He has also led the T-Wolves to back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances.
Minnesota is off to another solid start this season at 7-4, while LaMelo’s Hornets are among the worst teams in the Eastern Conference at 4-7.
