LaMelo Does More Than Just Ball

Since I've had kids, I've realized that sometimes their pure souls have more answers than we do. I find myself learning lessons from my oldest one.

Most of the time it's about treating others nicely and with respect. I remember one specific time when he started picking up some trash on the playground. I told him "AJ, don't touch trash." He said, "I have to keep the park clean. Because this is everyone's park, we all play here."

A three year old told me what's really going on. I couldn't argue with that logic.

In a time of such uncertainty in our world, we can learn a lot from the youth in the world who is trying to make a difference.

The Ball family has given people a lot of reasons to talk about them. Most of the time, people don't have many nice things to say.

Say what you want about their father Lavar. Say what you will about LiAngelo and the mistakes he made in college. Say what you will about Lonzo and possibly never living up to the hype the media created for him.

You can choose whichever words you'd like, but know one thing, that is a family that sticks together and has nothing but love for the game of basketball and everyone in the basketball community.

That was proven once more when the youngest son, LaMelo Ball decided to purchase the Illawarra Hawks. The Hawks are the Australian team he played for as he prepared himself for the NBA.

As one of the top prospects, and a child of a wealthy family, he doesn't have to worry about money in a time like this when so many people around the world are struggling financially.

​This includes his former teammates and everyone in that organization who make livable wages, but nothing like NBA players.

It would be easy for any young athlete or person to distance themselves from this situation and think about how to move forward in their own lives. But instead, LaMelo wanted to help give back to the organization and city that showed him an incredible amount of love in his one season out there.

He already donated one month's salary to relief funds for the fires that affected so many families across Australia. And this most recent move just shows how basketball has helped him help people.

The United States has long dominated the world in basketball. But we have seen many young superstars such as Giannis, Doncic, and Embiid come from across the globe.

The game continues to grow worldwide, but it still isn't the most popular sport in the world. Moves like this one from LaMelo will not only help grow the game, but will also create opportunities for young athletes to take their talents across the globe and know they'll be taken care of by someone who has been there before.

Kids coming straight out of high school who don't believe that college will be the right route for them on the path to the NBA can use the same technique that Lamelo did to not only help them grow as basketball players, but also help them financially without the NCAA breathing down their neck.

In a time where most people are looking out for themselves and their families, this 18 year old kid decided to look out for other people's families in their time of uncertainty.

His teammates, coaches, and staff of the Illawarra Hawks know that this kid thought about them when he could've easily came back home and put them in the back of his mind.

Not every kid coming out of high school will be able to make this kind of difference, but he's laying the ground work for how young athletes can compose themselves going forward.

Owning a business at 18 while still pursuing your other dreams is an incredible feat. We can all learn from this selfless move.

Maybe you're struggling right now, but I guarantee you there are thousands of other people in the world going through a lot of worse things. If you're reading this, you're blessed.

​So say what you want about the kid on the basketball court, but you know it's bigger than basketball.