LaMelo Ball doesn't regret unorthodox path to NBA: 'School's not your priority'

As a 16-year-old, Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball opted to leave high school and skip college in favor of playing professionally overseas – first in Lithuania and then in Australia. 

His unorthodox path, which evaded playing for a blue-blood college basketball program like his brother Lonzo at UCLA, is one that ultimately paid off as LaMelo just won the NBA Rookie of the Year award after being drafted No. 3 in last year.

As a 19-year old now, Ball said he has no regrets and dismissed the appeal of a traditional pathway to the league. 

"You wanna go to the league, so school's not your priority," he told GQ Magazine in a story published Tuesday. "We not trippin' off school. We not dumb. We know how to learn. We don't need school. And school not even teachin' you (expletive) — what the (expletive) is school?”

Ball also told the magazine he believes the NCAA must change to allow more options for elite players to make money en route to the NBA. The interview took place before the the Supreme Court ruled earlier this summer that the NCAA could no longer bar modest payments to student-athletes.

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There's been a growing trend of players in recent years, including 2021 No. 2 draft pick Jalen Green, who opt to play for money (Green played in the G-League), further pushing away the one-and-done narrative that NCAA Tournament exposure equates to being a lottery pick. 

Ball, who finished out his high school career at Spire Institute in Ohio before going to Australia, averaged 15.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds a game for the Hornets in 2020-21.