LaMelo Ball might enter the NBA as a big baller.
The NBA prospect and his manager, Jermaine Jackson, bought the Illawarra Hawks of Australia’s NBL, Jackson confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. Ball, 18, played for the Hawks in the 2019-20 NBL season and decided to purchase them during their financial distress.
“We own the team,” Jackson said. “It’s a done deal.
“Melo loves the Illawarra fans. He loves that community. They opened their arms to him. They made us feel like we are at home. When we started hearing about the issues they were going through, we talked about it and decided, ‘Let’s own the team.'”
Ball averaged 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 12 games with the Hawks.
He returned to the United States after the season in order to prepare for the 2020 NBA Draft, in which he might be the No. 1 overall pick.
Jackson’s believes Ball’s ownership of the Hawks will give them an advantage over their NBL and other professional rivals in terms of player and staff recruitment.
“When high school kids hear LaMelo owns the team, they will want to come,” Jackson said. “They’ll know they will be taken care of. We’re going to put the organization on steroids, building it into a program that guys want to play for. I’m in touch with several former NBA GMs that want to go there to help out and high-level coaches that won every championship you can imagine.”
Ball is the youngest son of outspoken sports dad LaVar and brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo and NBA G League guard LiAngelo.
