LaMelo Ball Returns To Hornets Lineup After Six Weeks

LaMelo Ball is expected to appear in his first NBA game since November 26 when the Hornets face the Spurs on January 12. Ball was sidelined by a recurring right ankle injury. The same injury restricted him to 33 games last season. The Hornets have lost 17 of the 20 games that Ball has missed so far this season. In 15 games so far this season, Ball is averaging a career-best 24.7 points, along with 5.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists.

The Hornets are 8-27 this season, placing them third-worst in the Eastern Conference. Injuries have been the story of the Hornets, stymying any attempt at building off a season that saw them earn the second-overall pick in last year's draft. Heading into the matchup against San Antonio, the Hornets are on a three-game losing streak. Furthermore, they have won just one of their last 15 games.

LaMelo Ball Sued By Big Baller Brand Co-Founder

However, injuries aren't the only thing that Ball has had to contend with this season. In November 2023, Ball, along with PUMA, were named in a lawsuit. The Ball family were sued by Alan Foster, the co-founder of Big Baller Brand. Foster claims that he was integral to the early success of the Ball Family sneaker brand and lost out on millions of dollars when patriarch LaVar ousted Foster by creating a new BBB entity. Amongst his claims, Foster alleges to have been the mastermind, and trademark owner, for LaMelo's first signature show, the MB1. Furthermore, Foster named PUMA in the suit. He stated that the MB.01 shoe the company developed for LaMelo infringed on his trademark.

"LaMelo was instrumental in creating his first signature shoe with Big Baller Brand. He was fully aware of the existence of the LaMelo Trademarks -- he helped design them. He knew that his Big Baller Brand signature shoe was called the 'MB1' and that the name was protected by federal trademark. Yet, despite his knowledge of all of this, LaMelo willfully and deliberately chose to name the signature shoe he created and designed with PUMA the 'MB1' in violation of the LaMelo Trademarks," Foster wrote in the suit. He is reportedly seeking $200 million in damages. Furthermore, Foster has previously sued, and been sued by, the Ball family.

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