A reoccurring theme among many members of the Illawarra Hawks team and staff that met LaMelo Ball last season was that of surprise. Most people came with an expectation of what Ball was like based on the perception of him through social media, highlight videos and traditional media.
Instead of dealing with a prima donna prospect, Ball proved to be a hard-working, basketball-loving teenager focused on improving on the court and less about off-court matters. During a recent interview with GQ Australia, Hawks head coach Matt Flinn talked about his first impression of Ball.
“The first thing I noticed about LaMelo was just how joyful he was, He sleeps, drinks basketball. That’s his whole world and everything he does. There’s a perception about LaMelo from what you see online but that’s nothing like what you see inside the team group. He enjoys other people succeeding; a lot of people think it’s all about him. It’s not. He’s a really special kid in that way.”
Flinn is one of many who have shared the sentiment. Aaron Brooks, who only spent roughly half a season with the Hawks before going down with injury, talked with TMZ about expecting Ball to be a Kardashian and be pleasantly surprised.
David Andersen had a much more recent interview with ESPN in which he shared the sentiment. He also added that the team was ill-prepared for the LaMelo Ball experience even with his commitment to the franchise.
This preconceived notion is going to be one that Ball fights for the early stages of his career. Between his early highlights at Chino Hills and his father’s abrasiveness, Ball is going to continue to have to face the same assumptions about him and will be forced to continue to prove people wrong.