Hornets’ LaMelo Ball: Trade rumors didn’t come from me

LaMelo Ball pushed back Friday on a report suggesting he’d be open to a trade out of Charlotte.

After responding with a clown emoji on social media, Ball told reporters he wanted to shut the rumor down before it spread further, as relayed by Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

“It didn’t come from me,” Ball said. “The source wasn’t me, so it’s false info. Got to let them know. I really don’t like commenting on stuff, but it got too big.

“It was spreading so much, they were making headlines. Bleacher Report and this and that. So I didn’t want it to keep going on.”

Head coach Charles Lee welcomed his point guard’s public show of commitment.

“I’m glad to hear what he had to say because I would echo a lot of the same things,” Lee said.

He added that his communication with Ball and president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson “is really hot” and that Ball has consistently expressed a desire to build something in Charlotte.

“He’s talked about how much he loves the city and the fans,” Lee said.

Ball has dealt with frequent injuries since arriving in 2020, limiting him to 36, 22 and 47 games over the past three seasons. The Hornets have struggled as a result, including a 19-63 finish last year and a 4-11 start this fall.

But they’ve been solid with Ball on the court in 2025–26, posting a plus-4.2 net rating in 282 minutes.

Ball said he still believes the group can turn things around.

“We are in some downs right now, but we are definitely going to go up,” he said. “I’m still confident in this whole group and everybody here.”