The Childhood Story of LaMelo Ball's Unorthodox Jump Shot

By Zack Samberg - https://twitter.com/zacksamberg/status/1164157796582952961, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90969294

Ever since the day LaMelo Ball was born, basketball has surrounded and accompanied him everywhere he goes, even in his last name. Raised by two former college basketball players alongside two older and super competitive brothers, he has always had an uphill fight to battle.

Today, LaMelo enters the 2020 NBA Draft as one of the most famous prospects in Draft history. And while many would point to his brother Lonzo’s NBA career or his father LaVar’s antics as the reason there’s so much hype around Melo; many forget he was the one that first brought the spotlight to the Ball family when he called and made a half-court rainbow shot that got national attention on social media.

LaMelo has a very distinctive, two-handed jump shot also characterized by a relatively low release point. Despite the odd mechanics, he is a good shooter and always been very confident about his long-range shooting, but how did he get that confidence?

As the story goes, his dad started training LaMelo shortly after the youngest Ball brother started walking. And by the time he was 4 years old, LaVar already had his son shooting on a regulation 10-foot rim and with a full-sized, professional basketball.

This forced little Melo to get under the basketball and use both of his arms to push it up towards the rim. Shooting with two hands became a habit as LaMelo played with his older brothers and against much older competition.

By Fox Life Visuals - https://www.foxlifevisuals.com/basketball-photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89957218

Some people let obstacles stop them, while others use them as stepping stones to get to the next level. And thanks to how hard his father was with him during his childhood, LaMelo Ball’s jump shot is now one of the most lethal weapons in his arsenal.