If you have or spend time around young kids, you’ve probably heard about the “6-7” meme, even if you don’t fully understand it. The Charlotte Hornets, on paper, have nothing to do with the internet fad, although TikToks dedicated to LaMelo Ball have pushed the “trend” to a massive, young audience.
In short, the song “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla went viral, and Ball has been associated with the music thanks to his height. That’s really all there is to it.
While Ball going viral yet again is beyond his control and likely doesn’t affect the Hornets’ locker room in the slightest, it could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and his celebrity might be enough for the Hornets to part ways with him.
Charlotte Hornets Trade Speculation Heats Up
Ball is no stranger to internet fame. He went viral at Chino Hills High School for scoring 92 points in a 2017 game, and he starred in the reality show Ball in the Family with his brothers, Lonzo and LiAngelo, and his father, Lavar.
Since entering the NBA, he has managed to exceed expectations and silence critics, although injury issues have kept him sidelined. While his unreliable health alone has been enough to prompt trade speculation, his attention to his personal brand over team success might get under the skin of the Hornets.
His admiration among Gen Alpha might be the icing on the cake.
“He’s become more of a celebrity than he is a basketball player at this point,” said Andrew Schlecht on The Athletic NBA Daily podcast’s September 25th episode. “He’s a celebrity to kids at summer league. You’re looking around, he showed up to summer league, and the crowd was more focused on him being in the building than the game was going on. There are other NBA players wandering around, but he’s got the attention of everybody. There’s just something about him that everybody loves.”
Most NBA stars draw attention wherever they go, that much is not new, and Ball shouldn’t be an exception to that rule. However, the Hornets have yet to make the playoffs in five seasons with Ball. On top of that, he’s played in only 56% of games since being drafted third overall.
Ball Doesn’t Fit Charlotte Hornets’ New Culture
In 2024, the Hornets hired Charles Lee to be their head coach and named Jeff Peterson President of Basketball Operations.
Both got started on Mike Budenholzer’s Atlanta Hawks teams. Lee has since coached Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum as an assistant, two business-first players. Peterson, meanwhile, worked in the Brooklyn Nets’ front office and oversaw their rebuild in the post-Durant/Irving/Harden years.
Neither is known to tolerate nonsense, which is all Ball’s latest virality is.
“There’s a part of me that wonders if he’s not really a Jeff Peterson, Charles Lee type of player,” added Hornets’ insider Richie Randall. “They go after like hard-nose, blue-collar, high-energy guys. LaMelo is more like a fluid type of guy. He’s not going to bang, not to say he doesn’t play hard, but it’s just the way that you watch him play doesn’t really scream what they’ve been trying to acquire.”