LaMelo Ball announced earlier last week he was returning to high school basketball with the SPIRE Institute in Ohio after playing overseas and in the JBA. A billboard showed up in downtown Cleveland marking his return to high school basketball.
The billboard reads “Welcome home LaMelo,” and features a LeBron James-esque pose from the youngest offspring of LaVar Ball.
The billboard was produced by Overtime.
Look, I get it, LaMelo is a big deal based off his father’s big mouth and his own basketball skills. But, giving a high school player the billboard treatment is absolutely ridiculous. NBA player? Absolutely. College star? Sure. A high schooler who’s about to play in his third different league in 2018? Nah.
Ball would have been a legit NBA prospect – possibly a lottery pick in his upcoming draft year – if he’d simply stayed in high school, to begin with, and avoided becoming a brand that also happens to have basketball talents. LaMelo actually needs to do something before he’s earned a billboard. Right now, he’s just another high schooler who’s been gifted multiple frontline opportunities thanks to his pops.
LaMelo will make his debut with Spire next Tuesday.
[WKYC]
About Liam McGuire
Social +Staff writer for The Comeback & Awful Announcing. Liammcguirejournalism@gmail.com