LaMelo on going No. 1 in draft: ‘I’m born for this’on November 17, 2020 at 11:50 pm

LaMelo Ball’s sales pitch on why he should go No. 1 in the 2020 NBA draft is simple.

“I feel like I’m born for this,” Ball declared during Tuesday’s media availability.

The projected top selection also confirmed that he conducted workouts in front of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons during the pre-draft process. The New York Knicks also talked to him on the phone, he said.

Currently, Minnesota is set to pick first, Golden State second and Charlotte third, while Detroit holds the seventh spot.

“I feel like I’m just the right man for it,” Ball said. “Like I said, I feel like I’m born for this whole thing going on, so that’s pretty much my answer right there.”

So far, nothing has caught him by surprise throughout this process, the 19-year-old guard said. His communication with teams has been “good,” according to him, but he hasn’t received much feedback other than what he already knows, which is “to improve on all aspects of the game.”

Ball described a typical day consisting of morning, afternoon and evening workouts with rest, food, stretching and movies in between to stay sharp leading into the draft.

“You only go through this process once, so I’m really just enjoying all of it,” Ball said.

Ball completed most of his training near Detroit alongside his mentor and manager, Jermaine Jackson Sr., a Motown native and former Piston. While Ball’s father, LaVar, has been involved throughout the process, the youngest Ball brother said Jackson has been beside him almost daily to make sure things are going smoothly.

“I don’t look at anything like that as pressure,” Ball said. “Like I said, it’s just basketball. So, being the No. 1 pick definitely holds a lot, but I’m glad I was born for it.”

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