the 28th pick in the 2001 draft, was an All-Star by his
fifth season in part because of changes the Spurs made
to the release of his jump shot. What people didn’t see,
says Borrego, was all the time Chip Engelland, the team’s
shot doctor, spent building a relationship with Parker.
“Once Tony trusted Chip, and Chip had the buy-in from
Tony,” says Borrego, “the shot just became a product of
that relationship.”
Borrego, 44, has started to build a similar relationship
with LaMelo. Last spring, as COVID-19 vaccines restored
a sliver of normalcy, Borrego invited Ball over for dinner.
By midsummer Ball was a frequent guest. He swam in
Borrego’s pool, played basketball with his three kids.
A standing order of pizza and lemon-pepper wings
was ready whenever Ball decided to drop by. Their
conversations were never about basketball. “Just family,”
says Borrego. “And life.”
Ball’s journey has been well chronicled by magazine
writers, cable television networks and reality TV cam-
eras. It began in Chino Hills, Calif., on a double-rimmed
backyard hoop a few inches higher than the 10-foot norm.
LaMelo joined his older brothers, Lonzo (now the Bulls’
point guard) and LiAngelo (who plays for Charlotte’s
G League team), on the court when he was 4, and his
extraordinary ballhandling immediately stood out. HeSPORTS ILLUSTRATEDQSI.COM 70BUZZWORTHY
With Ball digging in at both ends of the
f loor, the Hornets feel confident they can—
for once—make some noise in the playoffs.BREAKOUT OF THE YEAR