A surprising detail from the 2020 NBA Draft process has resurfaced, and it involves LaMelo Ball telling the Minnesota Timberwolves he planned to run for President of the United States.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Minnesota held a pre-draft interview with Ball while deciding whether the 6'7" point guard could be the franchise cornerstone they were looking for with the No. 1 pick. But the conversation reportedly took an unexpected turn.
"One of the questions they asked him was: 'Hey LaMelo, after you're done playing, what do you see yourself doing? What kind of things do you aspire to?' And LaMelo said: 'I want to be President of the United States.'"
Krawczynski said the exchange became one of the factors that nudged Minnesota toward selecting Anthony Edwards instead, not because Ball lacked talent, but because the interview raised questions about his focus, personality fit and long-term priorities.
"LaMelo… did not interview very well," Krawczynski added during his report. "There were a million different reasons in their evaluation. But that was one of them."
Ball would go on to be drafted third overall by the Charlotte Hornets, immediately emerging as one of the league's brightest young playmakers and winning the 2021 Rookie of the Year award. Edwards, meanwhile, has become the face of the Timberwolves and one of the NBA's biggest rising stars.
As for LaMelo's future political aspirations, he hasn't publicly revisited the idea, but the story adds another layer to the legend of one of basketball's most colorful personalities.