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Ball Brothers Play Against Each Other For First Time in 1,145 Days

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Vivek Jacob
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Vivek Jacob Sports Editor

Vivek Jacob is a freelance sports writer with over seven years experience. During this time, he has written for outlets including The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet, CBC, and Complex. Primarily covering the NBA, Vivek also covers tennis, soccer, and cricket.

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Sports Editor

Updated19 seconds ago on January 19, 2025

Ball brothers reunion

LaMelo Ball and Lonzo Ball competed against each other in an NBA game for the first time in 1,145 days on Friday.

Their brother LiAngelo Ball was also in attendance, fresh off signing a music deal with Def Jam records.

It’s been a long road back from injury for Lonzo, having missed the entirety of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons due to knee problems. LaMelo has had his own injury issues, having played a total of 58 games over the last two seasons.

The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Chicago Bulls in a thriller, 125-123.

LaMelo finished with 26 points, nine assists as well as two steals while Lonzo contributed six points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 25 minutes off the bench.

Cherishing The Moment

“It would’ve been a lot better if we won,” Lonzo said with a laugh after the game. “Playing him, it’s definitely bigger than most games for me, just because he is my little brother, man, and I grew up playing with him my whole life.”

Because both teams had the day off on Thursday, all three brothers met for dinner that night and soaked it all in.

LiAngelo’s song ‘Tweaker’ has been a massive hit to start the year, and it’s made for a wholesome time for the Ball family where each have their own successes to celebrate. LaMelo is leading East guards in fan All-Star voting while Lonzo is playing important minutes for the Bulls and having a major impact defensively once again.

“He’s big time right now,” Lonzo said of LiAngelo. “Those rappers are a little different, man.”

Brothers Talking Trash

It wouldn’t be a true matchup of brothers without a little banter, and while LaMelo was eager to celebrate the win over his brother post-game, Lonzo was quick to remind him that the matchup is now tied at two games apiece.

“Our record is 2-2, so I mean he can’t be too happy about that,” Lonzo said. “But to him, it’s 3-1 his way. I don’t know how that guy thinks sometimes.”