“I wanna see…”: Kyrie Irving challenges LaMelo Ball to prove haters wrong

Mavs star man Kyrie Irving did not mince his words to the media regarding fellow rival and Hornets star, LaMelo Ball.

“I wanna see…”: Kyrie Irving challenges LaMelo Ball to prove haters wrong

Kyrie Irving and LaMelo Ball

The Dallas Mavericks most recently played against the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA and lost by 110-105. Hornets star, LaMelo Ball starred against the Mavs, who had their star man Luka Doncic missing the game due to injury. However, another Mavs veteran, Kyrie Irving was present on the court and was in awe of Ball’s performance.

Irving was questioned about Ball, his explosive skill, and his 2024–25 form after the game. Irving has never held back when speaking to the media. Also, because of Ball’s recent play and the negative talk that has tarnished his early career, the NBA champion point guard’s post-game statement strikes a slightly different chord.

YouTube video

I’m happy for him, proud of him man. Just want to see him continue to be successful…I want to see that young guy reach his potential even more and answer a lot of the doubters and naysayers that say he can’t win or things like that.

Kyrie Irving told media

Combining his exceptionally outstanding box score totals with a newfound efficiency that has resulted in four victories in January, LaMelo Ball is having an incredible 2025. Against the Mavs, Ball and his teammate, Miles Bridges each scored 23 points. They extended their winning streak to a season-high 3 games this season.

FS Video

The Mavericks, who have lost four of their previous five games, saw Irving score 33 points and Daniel Gafford add a career-high 31 points and 15 rebounds. With 13 seconds remaining, Ball, who finished the first half with 20 points on five three-pointers, had a chance to seal the victory.

However, he missed the tail end of a one-and-one. In addition, Klay Thompson missed a three-point attempt from the right wing to force overtime. Josh Green then completed the Hornets’ victory with two more free throws.

RELATED
(Video) LeBron James hyped after his hometown Ohio State score a TD en route to CFP Championship
LeBron James hyped as Ohio State scored another TD against Notre Dame in the CFP Championship game

LaMelo Ball made bold ‘All-Star’ claim after recent win against Mavs

As the last day of fan voting approaches, Charlotte Hornets player LaMelo Ball has maintained his lead among Eastern Conference guards in the NBA All-player voting, with three votes counted on the last day.
With an incredible 2024–25 season, the 23-year-old guard has made a strong case for his second All-Star selection. In addition, he also opened up on the situation after his side’s recent win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Just me being me, I feel like I’m an All-Star every year. I just got to play the amount of games or whatever, just go out there and hoop. Every year I feel I’m talented enough to be up there.

LaMelo Ball
RELATED
Steve Kerr missing Donald Trump’s inauguration for Celtics game prep backfires: “How’d that go for you?”
Steve Kerr preferred to watch Celtics tape instead of Donald Trump's inauguration

Ball has improved to a new level, averaging an amazing 29.5 points per game, despite the Hornets’ dismal 11-28 record, which puts them 13th in the Eastern Conference. This scoring output tops all Eastern Conference guards and ranks fourth in the NBA overall. Ball’s ability to create plays has also remained excellent; he now ranks eighth in the league with 7.5 assists per game.