LaMelo Ball has taken the NBA by storm this season as a rookie with the Charlotte Hornets. He started the year coming off of the bench, but has already won the starting job and isn’t looking back. Many were hoping that he would participate in the All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge, but that will not be the case.

That won’t be the case due to the NBA not inviting him. Ball reportedly turned down the invite to participate in the Skills Challenge.

Needless to say, that seems very strange for a growing star rookie to turn down that kind of an invite. It would have put him in the spotlight on the national stage. Apparently, Ball doesn’t need to put himself any further into the spotlight.

So far this season in his first 34 NBA games with the Hornets, Ball has started 14 of his appearances. He has averaged 15.7 points per game to go along with 6.4 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals. Ball has shot 44.6 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 36.7 percent of his three-point attempts.

Many thought LaMelo Ball had bust potential heading into the 2020 NBA Draft. Despite his doubters, the rookie guard has proved the critics wrong.

At just 19 years of age, the future could not be brighter for Ball. He has the future looking bright for the Hornets as well, who have been much more competitive this season than in recent years. There is no question that he has the potential to become a dominant star.

While Ball will not be competing in the Skills Challenge, we do know two of the players who will be. Those two players are Robert Covington and Julius Randle. A bit of a strange field so far, but it should be entertaining.

Expect to see LaMelo Ball continue excelling as the starting point guard of the Hornets. He seems to be getting better quickly, but unfortunately we will not be seeing him in the Skills Challenge during All-Star weekend.