Timberwolves Passed On Drafting LaMelo Ball After He Told Them He Wants To Run For President

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The Timberwolves used the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft to select Anthony Edwards, and that turned out to be a pretty good call. They passed on the opportunity to scoop up LaMelo Ball, and his decision to reveal his presidential aspirations in an interview may have played a role.

LaVar Ball might have been soundly mocked when he burst onto the scene by hyping up the talents of his three sons. However, the infamous Basketball Dad wasn’t totally off base when you consider two of them, Lonzo and LaMelo, ended up making it to the NBA (LiAngelo has also done pretty well for himself since pivoting to a career as a rapper).

The elder Ball garnered plenty of attention for the outlandish and outrageous statements he routinely peddled in a largely successful attempt to make headlines, and while his offspring haven’t been immune to controversy, they’re a bit more reserved when it comes to their penchant for braggadocio.

With that said, LaMelo may not have done himself any favors with the team that could have gotten him with the first pick when he declared for the NBA Draft.

LaMelo Ball told the Timberwolves he wants to be the President of the United States after his basketball career comes to an end

LaMelo Ball initially planned to follow in his older brothers’ footsteps by committing to play college basketball at UCLA. However, he ultimately opted to go pro by playing alongside LiAngleo in Lithuania, which was followed by a stint with LaVar’s ill-fated Junior Basketball Association.

In 2019, he signed a contract with the Illawarra Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League, and by the time his first (and last) season with the team wrapped up, he was viewed as a prospect who had a legitimate chance to be drafted with the top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The Timberwolves were the team that earned the right to select first that year, and Ball, James Wiseman, and Anthony Edwards were the three guys who were viewed as the top contenders. Minnesota ultimately went with the last man on that list, which has worked out pretty well for them when you consider he’s a three-time All-Star who has firmly ascended to superstar status.

There are obviously plenty of factors that were taken into consideration when it came to choosing who to pick, but during a live recording of The Zach Lowe Show, T-Wolves beat writer Jon Krawczynski dropped a very amusing anecdote about a predraft interview where LaMelo waved a red flag in front of the franchise brass.

Krawczynski said the Timberwolves were not a fan of the response they received when they asked Ball a question about life after basketball, saying:

“Why did they pick Edwards? A million different reasons in their evaluation, 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.

And one of the questions that was asked of him is, ‘Hey, LaMelo, after you’re done playing, what do you see yourself doing when your career is over? What kind of things do you aspire to?’

And LaMelo said, ‘I want to be president of the United States.’”

As recent history has shown, it would be foolish to dismiss that possibility entirely, but I can still see why Minnesota had some second thoughts about going with him.