Kyrie Irving Makes Honest LaMelo Ball Statement After Mavs-Hornets Game

On Monday afternoon, the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Charlotte Hornets by a score of 110-105 in North Carolina.
LaMelo Ball finished the win with 23 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, two steals and one block while shooting 8/21 from the field and 5/10 from the three-point range in 38 minutes.
After the game, Kyrie Irving was asked about Ball when he met with the media.
Irving: "Glad that he's healthy this year, and he's able to show the world who he is. He's got good pedigree; he comes from a family that has pros... I'm happy for him, proud of him... I want to see that young guy reach his potential even more so. Answer a lot of the doubters and the naysayers that say he can't win or things like that. You've gotta deal with that as a young player for a little bit, and he's handled it with grace."
Ball is averaging 29.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.4 steals per contest while shooting 42.1% from the field and 33.5% from the three-point range in 28 games.
With the win, the Hornets improved to 11-28 in 39 games, which has them as the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference.
While Ball has been an elite player when he's been on the floor, he has been unable to make the NBA playoffs in each of his first four seasons.
“I wanna see that young guy reach his potential even more so and answer a lot of the doubters and naysayers that say, 'He can't win.”
— MeloHive 🛸💕 (@Meloleague) January 20, 2025
Kyrie Irving on LaMelo Ball pic.twitter.com/7MP4d679Bq
On the other side, the Mavs dropped to 23-20, which has them as the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
Kyrie Irving on LaMelo Ball:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 21, 2025
“He's got good pedigree… He comes from a family that has pros... I wanna see that young guy reach his potential even more so and answer a lot of the doubters and naysayers that say, 'He can't win.'”
(via @JoeyMistretta_)pic.twitter.com/5tYsMw1fvw