Seemingly out of nothing, LaMelo Ball’s future in the National Basketball League (NBL) has been in question from the moment he began to shine. As his draft stock rose, equal amounts of questions have arisen about whether Ball is long for the league with risk of injury being too great.
Ironically so, Ball suffered a foot injury last week that will rule him out for a month. With his return date coming so close to the end of the NBL season, conspiracy theories quickly began to circulate that this would be Ball’s out for the league.
Illawarra head coach Matt Flinn strongly pushed back against the notion that Ball would not suit up again for the Hawks this season.
“I don’t know where that comes from but it’s false. It’s legitimate injury and we’re going to treat it like we would any other player. The medical staff has advised us that it’s a four-week injury so hopefully in four weeks we’ll see him back.
“Those of us on the inside see just how hungry he is to play this sport, he’s your quintessential gym-rat. He doesn’t envisage any day where he’s not playing basketball so hopefully he can continue his development and the path he’s been on because it’s been phenomenal from where he started to where he is now.”
Going hand-in-hand with Flinn’s quote, reports elsewhere have backed up the idea that Ball’s injury is legitimate as noted by Fox Sports’ Olgun Uluc.
For the tin foil hat crowd out there: I've been told by multiple people close to the situation that LaMelo Ball's foot injury is legitimate, and that he's been in a walking boot over the past few days.
— Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) December 10, 2019
Ball himself has never wavered on the idea that he would leave the Hawks early, having gone on record that he would finish the season.
“I don’t know where that rumor came from, but when I decided to come play over here, I committed to the whole season. I’m not leaving early.”
The reoccurring trend is that the idea that he wouldn’t return is not founded on anything. Ball and the Hawks both have benefitted from the partnership and it makes sense for both parties to remain. And with the Illawarra season ending in mid-February, it will be plenty of time for Ball to return to the states ahead of the NBA Draft in June.
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