Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will change his No. 2 jersey number to No. 1 for the 2022 NBA season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
"I'm not supposed to wear No. 2 ever again in my life," Ball told The Associated Press in Charlotte, North Carolina, this past April.
The 20-year-old phenom wore No. 1 his entire basketball career before entering the NBA in 2020. Malik Monk, who now plays for the Sacramento Kings, wore the No. 1 jersey for the Hornets, prompting Ball to wear the No. 2 just like his older brother Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls.
"I feel like No. 1 is just me, so I just want to be me out there," Ball said. "Playing at No. 2, it just doesn't it doesn't feel right. I mean last year was cool because my brother, I said I'll be No. 2 for him because he ain't play his rookie year or whatever, I think he got hurt or something, so I wore No. 2 for him, but it doesn't feel right."
In his first two years with the Hornets, Ball has become a huge fan favorite and rising star in the league. In April, the NBA announced that LaMelo's No. 2 jersey was ranked 14th in jersey sales from the second half of the 2021-22 season.
Ball finished his second season averaging 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists and earned an NBA All-Star selection.