Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball continues to make a splash in the franchise’s record books, as he became the youngest player in franchise history to record a 30-point game.
On Friday, Ball produced a career-high 34 points against the Utah Jazz, at the Spectrum Center. He also recorded eight assists and four rebounds. It was the first 30-point game of his career, and obviously a career-high in points. He also became the youngest Hornets player to ever score 30 points in a game.
The 19-year-old joins the ranks of some of Charlotte’s most iconic figures for his career night. Alonzo Mourning scored 34 or more four times during his rookie season. Larry Johnson did it twice, whereas Rex Chapman pulled it off once.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, Melo’s record-breaking game went for naught, as they were defeated by the Jazz, 138-121. Utah is currently the top team in basketball.
Ball is currently averaging 13.6 points, 6.0 assists and 5.8 rebounds per night on 43.5 percent shooting from the field and 33.7 percent from deep. He leads all the NBA rookies in points scored, assists and rebounds through Friday.
To add to his list of achievements, the NBA named Ball the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played Tuesday, December 22 through Sunday, January 31st. He is the eighth Hornets rookie to win a Rookie of the Month title and the fourth rookie in team history to win Rookie of the Month in the first month it was awarded.
