LaMelo Ball gets the best of big brother Lonzo in first game in over 1,000 days: ‘Bigger than most’
Maybe we’re starting to take it for granted given all the sibling matches we see these days in NBA: The Currys, the Thompson Twins, the Martin Twins, the Holidays — we even saw a father and son take the court earlier this season with LeBron and Bronny James.
However, it’s hard to imagine how amazing and surreal it would be to face off against your brother in an NBA game. We saw a very special version of that on Friday night, when LaMelo Ball and his older brother, Lonzo Ball, met on the court for the first time in more than 1,000 days — 1,145 days to be exact — due to Lonzo’s multi-year absence. While dealing with career-threatening injuries.
But all that was in the past on Friday, when the two brothers guarded each other for long stretches during the Charlotte Hornets’ 125-123 win over the Chicago Bulls. LaMelo won the team and individual battle, tallying 26 points and nine assists despite going just 1 point for 9 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Lonzo contributed six points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals in 24 minutes off the bench.
“It’s always fun for me — definitely bigger than most games for me, just because he’s my little brother,” Lonzo Ball said after the game. “I grew up playing with him a lot. So to see the growth has been amazing.”
The highlight of the brother battle came midway through the first quarter, when Lonzo overwhelmed LaMelo with multiple attempts over 15 seconds. He first cruised over the screen, then under it, then intercepted LaMelo’s 3-point attempt, and finally immediately beat him on a drive to force a punt.
Lonzo also knocked down a 3-pointer on his little brother in the second quarter.
And to make the night even more family-oriented, middle brother and budding music sensation LiAngelo Ball (aka Gelo) was in attendance at the United Center.
Lonzo was a little angry because he didn’t block one of LaMelo’s layup attempts at a crucial point in the game with less than two minutes left, instead fouling him and sending him to the goal line.
“I probably block it nine times out of 10,” Lonzo Ball said after the game. “He got one out of 10 and got a free throw from it.”
The Paul brothers made quite a splash during their high school days at Chino Hills, winning a national title in the 2015-16 season as the three played together (along with current Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu… Decent band). Their father LaVar always cheekily said that all of his sons would play in the NBA — and two out of three certainly isn’t bad, especially considering they both showed moments of brilliance and LaMelo was already an All-Star.
Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 1,000 days for the next match between the Paul brothers, because it’s always fun.
