LaMelo Ball has played his last game in the National Basketball League.
The 18-year-old is fully healthy after suffering a left foot bone bruise last month but would require several weeks of training to play again for the Illawarra Hawks. The Hawks have just six regular-season games left with their schedule concluding on Feb. 14 and Ball wouldn’t be ready in time to play.
Ball will continue his rehab with the Hawks, which will include court-based activity under the care of the team’s medical staff. In 12 games this season, Ball averaged 17 points, 7.5 rebounds, seven assists and 1.7 steals for the Hawks, while he shot 37.3% from the field and 24.3% from 3-point range.
Ball became the youngest player in NBL history to record a triple-double on Nov. 25 when he tallied a career-high 32 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. He followed that performance up with another triple-double, becoming the first player in the 40-minute era to have consecutive triple-doubles.
Doctors have advised that LaMelo Ball's left foot bone bruising has now fully resolved. He will now continue his rehabilitation to include court-based activity under the care of the Hawks medical team. Ball isn't expected to return to play before the end of the season.#FlyAsOne
— Illawarra Hawks (@IllawarraHawks) January 16, 2020
Despite the season-ending foot injury, Ball helped set several records in the NBL.
As noted by Olgun Uluc of Fox Sports AU, Ball’s matchup against R.J. Hampton was watched by two million people in the United States on Facebook Watch, becoming the most-watched game in NBL history. Games involving Ball had the highest crowd average of any player in history.
Though many believed Ball would one play one season in Australia, the guard was fully invested during his time abroad. Ball recently donated one month of his NBL salary to help Australian wildfires as emergency crews battle several blazes across the country.
After his season in the NBL, Ball is widely considered to be a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. In the latest Rookie Wire 2020 NBA Mock Draft, Ball is projected to be taken with the No. 1 pick by the Golden State Warriors.
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