Doing LaMelo things: What four wild months in Ohio taught us about Ball
Joe Vardon Nov 17, 2020 28
After years bathing in the glitz and glamour of Chino Hills, and globetrotting as a "pro," starring in reality TV series, lighting up millions of social media accounts, watching his oldest brother get drafted by the Lakers, and pimping the family merch, LaMelo Ball came to Geneva, Ohio, for his last, best shot at being a kid again.
The whole experience for LaMelo at SPIRE Academy, the previously unknown institution of about 40 full-time students in Geneva, lasted about four months, just enough time to cover the 2018-19 basketball season. There were headlines and headaches, permission slips and production crews for the Balls' TV show, and even an attempted shakedown by a former family associate. And when it was all over, the academy and just about every adult involved with the basketball program cut ties, with school leadership vowing to never do that again.
"It was great for a time and it was helpful to our brand and it was good for the program...