We may have started to take it for granted because of all the sibling confrontations we see these days in the world. 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.
Despite this, it’s hard to imagine how surreal and cool it must be to face your brother in an NBA game. We got to see a very special version of that Friday night, when LaMelo Ball and his older brother Lonzo Ball met on the field for the first time in over 1,000 days – 1,145 to be precise – due to the absence of Lonzo for several years. as he dealt with career-threatening injuries.
However, that was all in the past Friday, when the two brothers guarded each other for stretches of the Charlotte Hornets’ 125-123 win over the Chicago Bulls. LaMelo won both the team battle and the individual battle, as he racked up 26 points and nine assists despite going 1 for 9 from 3-point range. Lonzo, meanwhile, contributed six points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals in 24 minutes coming off the bench.
“It’s always a treat for me – definitely bigger than most games for me, just because it’s my little brother, man,” Lonzo Ball said after the game. “I grew up a lot playing with him. So to see his growth has been incredible.”
The climax of the battle between brothers came midway through the first quarter, when Lonzo locked down LaMelo with multiple efforts over a 15-second span. He first sailed over a screen, then under it, then contested LaMelo’s 3-point attempt, and finally beat him to the spot on a drive to force a takedown.
Lonzo also made a 3-pointer on his little brother in the second quarter.
To make the evening even more family-friendly, younger brother and budding musical sensation LiAngelo Ball (aka Gelo) was in attendance at the United Center.
Lonzo was a little sour about failing to block one of LaMelo’s layup attempts at a crucial moment in the game with just under two minutes left, instead he fouled out and sent him over the line.
“Probably nine times out of ten I block it,” Lonzo Ball said after the game. “He went one for 10 and got a free throw.”
The Ball brothers became viral sensations during their high school years at Chino Hills, winning a national title in 2015-16 with all three playing together (along with current Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu… decent team). Their father LaVar has always said abrasively that all of his sons will play in the NBA – and two out of three is certainly not bad, especially since both have shown moments of brilliance and LaMelo has already been a All-Star.
Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 1,000 days for the next match between the Ball brothers, because it’s always a blast.
