The Melo Effect is in full effect. Here's a couple of numbers to understand the true impact the young Illawarra Hawks star LaMelo Ball is having on the exposure of Australian basketball.
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Last NBL season it was 'The Bogut Effect' which put bums on seats in stadiums around the country and eyeballs on screens.
In #NBL20 it's all about the LaMelo Show. And it is already showing signs of dwarfing the Bogut Effect.
Understand this:
- LaMelo's highlights on Twitter in a pre-season game against SE Melbourne have been viewed 1.3 million times.
- His game for the Hawks against Perth at the Blitz had 185,000 unique views on the global live streaming platform Twitch. LaMelo's highlights vs Perth at the Blitz on Twitter: over 500,000 views
- His appearance on hoops show NBL Overtime with RJ Hampton had 250,000 views on Youtube alone. Easily the biggest in the show's history.
The 18-year-old can play, he's already shown that. In fact this week major American network ESPN moved him up 20 places on their mock NBA draft to number three.
But he could be No. 1.
His old man Lavar Ball said it in this masthead a couple of weeks ago and all of a sudden we are are hearing him. Loud and clear.
Yet outside of that obvious talent he brings a massive international online audience, garnered through his high profile family and their online reality show Ball In the Family.
During the NBL pre-season blitz in Tasmania at the weekend, watching the games being streamed via Facebook you could see The Melo Effect live.
Most of the games on the league's Facebook page were showing around the 500 active viewers mark, pushing up around the 800 mark for the games involving the other young US superstar playing in New Zealand, RJ Hampton.
Yet the game involving Ball, in which he starred for the Hawks on Friday night, averaged upwards of 2000 active viewers.
Such is the impact of the young man named LaMelo. I suspect this Sunday's pre-season game against Sydney at the WEC which beams into LA late on a Sunday night, he will dwarf that again.
LaMelo Ball is a phenomenon. Who will be gone sooner than we can blink.
Best enjoy it while you can. It was iconic American rap duo Public Enemy who said Don't Believe the Hype. Well, you best believe this hype.
The Melo Effect is real.
Read more: Lavar Ball says 'My Boys Were Born To Ball'
