Perhaps he also would have attempted to build a new “Ball” room at the White House.
Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball told the Timberwolves during his pre-draft interview that he held aspirations to become the President of the United States after his NBA career is over, according to a report in The Athletic.
Ball was chosen third overall in the 2020 draft after the Timberwolves selected Anthony Edwards with the first overall selection, and James Wiseman went No. 2 to the Warriors.
LaMelo Ball #1 of the Charlotte Hornets looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 1, 2025 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NBAE via Getty Images
“So, we know they picked Edwards. But that’s not my little nugget for you all. It’s why they picked Edwards,” The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski said during an appearance on “The Zach Lowe Show” podcast. “There were a million different reasons in [the Timberwolves’] evaluation. But one of them was that they had an interview with LaMelo Ball during this process — trying to figure out, ‘Hey, is this the guy for us?’ And LaMelo did not interview very well.
“One of the questions that was asked of him was: ‘Hey, LaMelo, after you’re done playing, what do you see yourself doing when your career is over? What kind of things do you aspire to?’ And LaMelo said, ‘I want to be President of the United States.’”
According to Krawczynski, the Timberwolves weren’t sure if Ball was simply joking or not taking the interview process seriously.
So they drafted Edwards, who has developed into one of the NBA’s top players, averaging 27.6 points per game last season for Minnesota while leading the T-Wolves to back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference finals.
LaMelo Ball reportedly said he had aspirations to become president. Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima
Ball, the younger brother of Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball, was the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2020-21 with averages of 15.7 points and 6.1 assists in 51 appearances. LaMelo made his lone All-Star appearance the following year, but he was hampered by various injuries over the next three seasons, appearing in just 105 of Charlotte’s 246 games.
The Hornets have posted a combined winning percentage of .275 (71-187) since the start of the 2022-23 campaign.