LaMelo Ball is finalizing a five-year max extension worth up to $260M

LaMelo Ball is finalizing a five-year max extension worth up to $260M.

The Charlotte Hornets will have one of the league’s brightest young stars in their backcourt for years to come.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium on Saturday, LaMelo Ball is finalizing a five-year maximum contract extension worth up to $260 million with the Hornets. The 2023-24 season was set to be the final year on his rookie deal, which would pay him $10.9 million.

Charlotte’s commitment to its star point guard comes after an unfortunate end to the 2022-23 campaign that saw him suffer a fractured right ankle on Feb. 27. He had been hindered by three left ankle sprains throughout the season, and he was limited to 36 games in total.. 

Ball earned All-Star honors in the 2021-22 season when he was named as an injury replacement for Kevin Durant.

That season, his points per game average jumped up to 20.1 as he also averaged a career-best 6.7 rebounds per game.

But last season, Ball suffered a right ankle injury just 36 games into the 2022-23 campaign.

He underwent surgery in March and was ruled out for the remainder of the season – leading the Hornets to drop off.

With Ball in the team, Charlotte made back-to-back Play-In appearances where they lost both times.

In his young career, Ball is already eighth on the Hornets’ all-time 3-pointers list. He’s just one shy of teammate PJ Washington but remains over 800 behind the franchise’s leader in a career – Kemba Walker. He told reporters on March 20 that he expected to be ready to return by training camp in the fall.

When healthy, Ball showed off the brilliance that earned him a trip to the All-Star Game in 2022. He averaged career highs in points (23.3) and assists (8.3) while shooting 37.6 percent from beyond the arc. He became the second-youngest player ever to record 1,000 points, assists and rebounds in his career, behind only Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

The Hornets went through an injury-plagued year that quickly ended any hopes of snapping the now-seven-year postseason drought.