"If you want to go far, you've got to get all the Ball boys" - LaVar Ball urges Hornets to sign Lonzo and LiAngelo
The Charlotte Hornets' season came to a crashing end at the Magic Kingdom on Friday night after they were blown out by the Orlando Magic 121-90 in the battle for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The loss ended Charlotte's best regular season since 2016, which was also the last time they made the playoffs. Despite having a young and talented lineup, LaMelo Ball 's father, LaVar , gave the Hornets' management the real blueprint for success.
"Now we can put the Charlotte staff on alert," said LaVar. "Yes indeed. Now you ain't gonna worry about filling up no goddamn arena, cuz guess what, you ain't going to the playoffs. So if you want to go to the playoffs, three Balls are better than one. I'm trying to explain to y'all. I had to keep telling you, if you want to go far, you've got to get all the Ball boys. The chemistry and the speed of the game is unmatched."
LaVar has made this demand before
It’s understandable that a father would want all three of his sons on the same team, especially with two currently unsigned and LaMelo standing out as the Hornets’ best player. However, this isn’t the first time LaVar has pushed an NBA franchise to consider signing all three of them together.
In 2024, he reportedly told Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer to sign his three sons to turn the city into a Clippers stronghold rather than a Lakers one. After the Lakers were acquired by Mark Walter last year, he also pushed for a reunion in purple and gold, saying it could help restore “Showtime” in Los Angeles .
While his pitch to the Hornets to add all three Ball brothers wasn’t unexpected, his direct appeal to head coach Charles Lee did raise some eyebrows.
"You have to be a heck of a coach to coach Melo," he added. "He's a killer. You know what you do with a killer? You leave him in until the end. Don't take him out till them suckers hit zero. And let it be known, he's still trying to win. He could be down 40, down 50, it don't matter. It takes vision and risk, trust me, to be champion. And you've got to believe in that player, man. That coach gave up a little too early for me."
Lee sat Ball the entire fourth quarter
With the Hornets down 104-71 at the start of the fourth quarter, Lee chose to start the fourth period with Josh Green and Coby White in the backcourt. And since Charlotte was never able to come within striking distance, he decided not to bring Ball back the rest of the way — the star guard spent only 25 minutes on the floor.
It didn't help that LaMelo had another poor shooting night — 7-for-17 from the floor and 3-for-8 from 3-point distance. He also had five assists, three turnovers and was a -9 when he was on the court.
So, aside from maybe trying to prevent an unnecessary injury, Charles wanted to see if White and Green could spark the team in the fourth quarter. But they did not.
Despite the loss, it was a very successful year for the Hornets, who won more games this season than they did the previous two combined. Ball had a great year, but so did Lee.
As for Lonzo and LiAngelo, they may be better off continuing to grow their podcast — and perhaps even bringing LaVar on as a co-host — so he has a consistent platform for his commentary, rather than stirring up attention after a tough loss.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
