This feature is in our Oct. "Style" Issue. Click here to subscribe.

NBA All-Star LaMelo Ball is preparing for a comeback season in Buzz City.

While LaMelo Ball has always seen himself as a one-of-one talent, finding his own identity could’ve been a tough proposition. The baller was raised in California basketball royalty—the Ball family—as the youngest of three boys.

Between his father LaVar’s larger-than-life personality and older brother Lonzo being one of the most decorated NBA Draft prospects in recent memory, Ball persevered to emerge as the best of the Ball bunch. The 2023-2024 season will be Ball’s fourth in the NBA. It’s a pivotal one in his ascending career on and off the floor after signing a five-year, $260 million max contract extension to remain in Buzz City with the Charlotte Hornets.

Dior Men suit, Derby shoe and Dior Lock case, Dior Men boutiques and dior.‌com; Ball’s own jewelry.

Being the face of the franchise doesn’t intimidate Ball, but he’s happy the generational wealth will allow him to take care of those around him. “It’s something to get when you work hard, I guess,” he calmly tells me. “It’s cool to care for some of your people. It’s blessings that way. I just wanna keep working and keep my head on straight, staying in the gym and, hopefully, more will come.”

Dior Men jacket, T-Shirt, shorts, socks and shoes, Dior Men boutiques and dior.com; Ball’s own jewelry.

Ball hasn’t splurged on a major purchase since signing the lucrative deal, but he’s got his eyes on adding a couple of luxury cars to his fleet. Riding in style is nothing new for Ball. He famously made West Coast radio legend Big Boy get up and jokingly leave in the midst of their 2018 interview after hearing that the hoops star drove a Lamborghini as a 16-year-old.

Inspired by his father’s entrepreneurial spirit, Ball knew he wanted to blaze his own path to the league. He went the nontraditional route of playing for Chino Hills High School in California before forfeiting his amateur status to hoop professionally in Lithuania. Ball then returned to the States in 2018 for his senior season to suit up for the Ohio prep school SPIRE Institute. There, he met his current manager and former NBA player Jermaine Jackson, who was the head coach at the time.

Dior Men jacket, T-Shirt, shorts, socks and shoes, Dior Men boutiques and dior.com; Ball’s own jewelry.

He continued to join his father’s Junior Basketball Association and then agreed to a deal to play around the globe in Australia’s National Basketball League—all before stepping foot onto an NBA court.

In the weeks leading up to hearing his name called third overall at the 2020 NBA Draft, the lanky 6-foot-6 point guard inked a reported $100 million deal with PUMA and launched his own upscale streetwear brand, LaFrancé. “Just being around my pops—and he was always big on that, starting the whole Big Baller Brand—I wanted to start my own thing,” Ball testifies.

Dior Men jacket, T-Shirt, shorts, socks and shoes, Dior Men boutiques and dior.com; Ball’s own jewelry.

“I just wanna keep working and keep my head on straight, staying in the gym and, hopefully, more will come.”—LAMELO BALL

Nowadays, Ball’s living the “1 of 1” lifestyle to the fullest, which the 22-year-old has inked across his upper forearm. Whether it’s his on-the-court persona or fashion sense off it, Ball preaches executing a unique vision. It’s become an integral part of his brand.

He’s even changed his jersey number at the start of last season from No. 2 to his favorite No. 1, which was previously occupied by former Hornet Malik Monk when Ball was drafted.

Dior Men jacket, T-Shirt, shorts, socks and shoes, Dior Men boutiques and dior.com; Ball’s own jewelry.

“I really never wanted to be that,” Ball says of originally wearing No. 2. “I always loved No. 1. Everything is one. The whole brand is 1 of 1. My favorite number is one. The angel number is 111. There’s so many things to do with one. I just always loved that number as a kid. It means a whole lot to me.”

The 2021 Rookie of the Year winner will be lacing up the PUMA MB.03 on his feet this season. After rolling out a limited version of the model in June, the first official release of the MB.03 at retailers came in September, which marked a seminal moment in Ball’s partnership with PUMA as it was the first time his LaFrancé brand was involved in the design process.

LaFrancé T-shirt and jeans, 1lafrance.‌com; Dior Men sneakers, Dior Men boutiques and dior.com.

“We’ve always been talking about playoffs. ... We’re trying to lock in on that.” —LAMELO BALL

The fluorescent slime green LaFrancé x PUMA MB.03 colorway backs up Ball’s talk of having more involvement in his partnership with the apparel giant than the typical athlete-brand relationship seen around the NBA.

“All of the designs come from my head when I sit down with the creators. Everything comes from my mind and I put it on the shoes,” he explains in between photo shoot outfit changes from Dior to LaFrancé.

LaFrancé T-shirt and jeans, 1lafrance.‌com; Dior Men sneakers, Dior Men boutiques and dior.com.

“It’s everything you could really dream of as a kid.” “I can pretty much do what I want with the colors. My whole identity is thrown on the shoe and I don’t know if everyone has as much say [as I do],” Ball boasts. “Over here, I got a lot of say and get to put whatever I want on my shoe when it comes to how it looks.”

While he hasn’t picked out his kicks for opening night, fans can expect him to be rocking plenty of his “classy streetwear” LaFrancé on game days. “A whole lot of LaFrancé,” he says of his basketball season wardrobe. “I mix in some designers sometimes, but sometimes straight LF. It’s really whatever I’m feeling I throw on and get on with my day.”

LaFrancé T-shirt and jeans, 1lafrance.com; Dior Men Saddle Boxy bag and sneakers, Dior Men boutiques and dior.com; Ball’s own jewelry.

Charlotte handed the keys to the franchise to Ball and 2023 first-round pick Brandon Miller with hopes they can help right the ship starting this year following a turbulent 27-55 campaign.

“We’ve always been talking about playoffs,” he responds when asked about his goals.

Dior Men Saddle Boxy bag, Dior Men boutiques and dior.com; Ball’s own jewelry.

“That’s a big thing up here that we’re really trying to make. We’re trying to lock in on that. That’s been started. We’re putting all the work in. There’s always some stuff personally, but the main thing is winning. If you’re winning, everything will handle itself.”

Some in the NBA world are seemingly sleeping on Ball, but he’s ready to stick it to his detractors. An injury-riddled season limited him to 36 games due to a fractured ankle last year when he still posted career-high averages in points (23.3) and assists (8.4) per game.

LaFrancé T-shirt and jeans, 1lafrance.com; Dior Men Saddle Boxy bag and sneakers, Dior Men boutiques and dior.com; Ball’s own jewelry.

While his 2020 draft classmates Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton shined on the FIBA Basketball World Cup stage this summer, Ball rehabbed and worked on his game to make sure he’s 100% ready for this season, where he’ll look to remind everyone what made him an All-Star in his sophomore campaign.

“I definitely feel like I got something to prove,” Ball adamantly fires back. “Silence all the doubters and naysayers. Even if you do what they say, it’s always going to be something else.”

Dior Men suit, Derby shoe and Dior Lock case, Dior Men boutiques and dior.‌com; Ball’s own jewelry.

“I definitely feel like I got something to prove. Silence all the doubters and naysayers.” —LAMELO BALL

Dior Men suit, Derby shoe and Dior Lock case, Dior Men boutiques and dior.‌com; Ball’s own jewelry.

CREDITS

All clothing by Dior and LaFrancé
All grooming products by Dior Beauty
Photographer: Cameron Blackmon
Photo Assistant: Camille Hughes
Styling: Jasmine Alston and Sam Hoggs
Videographer: Brandon Gathers
Set Design: Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez
Barber: Philly Garcia
Talent’s dogs: Dipper, Django, Doe and Draco