"12 years old and I'm driving" - LaMelo Ball's brother LiAngelo reveals father LaVar taught him to drive as a seventh grader
In the latest episode of Lonzo and LiAngelo Ball's "The WAE Show," LaMelo Ball's brothers shared a fascinating story from the past. During a segment on the podcast, LiAngelo shared how there were certain expectations from him at just a young age. One of the lessons he received from his father involved driving a car when he was just in the seventh grade.
The former Hornets forward revealed that it was the kind of teaching needed in case of possible emergencies concerning an able driver. At just 12 years of age, Ball considered himself capable of being able to take care of himself when other kids would end up struggling on that end.
"Look, my dad taught me how to drive at 11 years old," Ball said. "12 years old, I'm driving me and Melo to school. Teachers told on me, 'Why he driving the Escalade? Who did this?' My dad told me, 'If I ever get hurt, a heart attack, somebody's got to drive us back.' I'm like, 'That makes sense.' I'm going to teach my son how to drive like that."
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LaMelo Ball's brother acknowledged that it was valuable teaching at that stage of his life and one that he envisions himself passing down to his future child. Some would have disagreed with how LaVar Ball went about providing his son's first driving lessons but Ball considered it a necessity due to the important implications of being able to drive.
LaMelo Ball's brother talked about staying ready for his next opportunity to play in the NBA
During a brief interview with ClutchPoints' Joey Mistretta, he shared his ready-to-play mindset whenever his next NBA opportunity arrives. He was able to play in a few outings with the Charlotte Hornets for two seasons during the Summer League and the preseason.
"I hoop every day," Ball said, "behind the scenes. I workout with Lonzo, work out with Melo when I can. I'm always getting NBA workouts. So I'm just waiting on my call."
It remains a challenging task to be a stable rotation piece for any NBA team. There have already been several players who came up short of making the final cut to enter the regular season with some players resorting to taking their talents elsewhere.
However, LiAngelo Ball possesses the kind of tough-branded mindset that other athletes have with the drive to remain confident that their time will come. All it boils down to is waiting for the perfect situation to arrive.
While he awaits what befalls his NBA journey, Ball is playing with the Astros de Jalisco in Mexico.