The Warriors announcers go after LaMelo Ball after he using Carmelo Anthony’s celebration; say he needs to get his own celebration.
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The Golden State Warriors are currently facing off against a Charlotte Hornets squad that features a rookie that they passed up on in the 2020 NBA Draft to acquire James Wiseman instead. What would’ve been an intriguing duel between the 2nd and 3rd overall picks tonight needs to be postponed to a later date as Wiseman is currently out due to a sprained wrist.
LaMelo Ball has (no pun intended) been balling out for the Hornets, especially ever since he moved his way up into the starting lineup. What LaMelo is most lauded for, other than the flashy on court maneuverers, is his confidence. Unlike his older brother, who in all fairness is letting it fly as of late, LaMelo oozes confidence.
So much so that he has no problem in ‘stealing’ an NBA legend’s celebration while that legend is still in the league no less.
LaMelo Ball uses Carmelo Anthony’s celebration, much to the Warriors announcers’ dismay
Midway through the first quarter, LaMelo seems to have been really feeling it as he let a couple shots from beyond the arc fly right off the dribble. After hitting one to bring the Hornets within one, the Hornets rookie back-pedaled onto defense and did so while hitting the Warriors with the iconic, ‘3 fingers to the dome’ celebration.
As most NBA fans are aware, this is quite nearly a patented celebration that’s been extensively used by Carmelo Anthony over his 18 year career. The Warriors announcers, Kelenna Azuibik in particular, did not approve of this one bit.
“He’s doing three fingers to the head like Carmelo Anthony . . . Come up with your own celebration. Be original.”
– Kelenna Azubuik on LaMelo Ball 🤭
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) February 27, 2021
Some claim the announcers were hating on the rookie, while others believe LaMelo Ball should put the ‘3 to the dome’ celebration aside and actually come up with something original. “Just because you both share the same nickname in ‘Melo’, doesn’t mean you can copy his celebration and make it your own,” is what some may say.
This isn’t the first time a celebration has been outright copied. Isiah Thomas used Damian Lillard’s Dame Time celebration all throughout his stint with the Boston Celtics and Dame seemed to be unbothered. Carmelo Anthony is yet to speak out about the 19-year-old’s use of his celebration.