LaMelo Ball Finally Wears No. 1 Jersey For Hornets
LaMelo Ball Gets Coveted Jersey Number ... F1NALLY!!!
"Allow me to reintroduce myself ..."
That's the vibe LaMelo Ball is on right now -- 'cause the Charlotte Hornets star is finally rocking his #1 jersey after two years!!!
The hooper showed off his new threads on Friday via IG video ... putting the #1 teal and white pinstripe jersey on in the locker room with Jay-Z's "Public Service Announcement (Interlude)" playing.
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You can see the 20-year-old is all smiles (with his diamond grill) -- captioning the clip, "really da “1” fr 😋🛸💕 #NOW"
Of course, the #1 jersey has been Melo's number since he started playing ball at Chino Hills H.S. -- he even has it tatted on his chest -- but when he was drafted by the Hornets in 2020, that number was already taken by Malik Monk.
So, Melo ended up with the deuce -- and he hated it!!
"I ain’t supposed to wear No. 2 ever again in my life," Melo said in April. "I promise you, if I see a No. 2 I don’t know what I’m going to do."
LaMelo Ball told us during exit interviews in April his jersey change from No. 2 to No. 1 should be official for the upcoming season. Now it is.
— Ashley Stroehlein (@ashstro) July 18, 2022 @ashstro
“I ain’t supposed to wear No. 2 ever again in my life. I promise you. If I see a No. 2 I don’t know what I’m going to do.”@MELOD1P pic.twitter.com/lVPfmU9afY
Melo even tried to switch digits after Monk signed with the Lakers last season ... but was told he was too late to file the proper paperwork to make it happen.
Despite Melo's hatred towards #2, he did go off while rockin' it during his first two seasons. He averaged 18.3 points, 7 assists, and 6.4 rebounds per game.
He also became the NBA Rookie of The Year and an NBA All-Star.
Let's see what pops off when he wears #1!!
