"Other kid devastated": LaMelo Ball's special gift to Drake's son excludes buddy in locker room, leaving NBA fans downhearted

Charlotte Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball gave a special gift to Adonis Graham, son of five-time Grammy Award-winning rapper Drake, on Sunday. However, his unintentional exclusion of Adonis’ friend left NBA fans feeling dispirited.

Adonis and his companion were brought into the Hornets’ locker room to meet Ball ahead of Charlotte’s road matchup against the Toronto Raptors. The six-year-old’s fandom of the one-time All-Star has been well-documented, so Ball prepared a signed jersey for him in his locker.

However, as the 22-year-old noted, he was expecting his meet-and-greet to be with Adonis alone, resulting in him not having anything to gift his buddy.

“Little man, what’s up y’all? What’s up Adonis, you good? … I got a little present for you, man,” Ball said. “A little something, something. Little jersey gang. I didn’t know your partner was gonna be with you.”

While Adonis was grateful for the gift, his friend looked on in apparent disappointment. Afterward, Ball took photos with Adonis and his new jersey.

Fans on X/Twitter subsequently sympathized with Adonis’ friend, who seemingly walked away empty-handed.

“Other kid devastated,” one fan said.

“That other baby needs [a] jersey [the] next time they meet,” another said.

Below are a few more of the top fan reactions to Ball’s interaction with Adonis and his friend:

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LaMelo Ball is Adonis’ longtime favorite player

Despite only being six, Adonis is a longtime fan of LaMelo Ball, and the Hornets star has sent him a gift in the past. However, Sunday marked his first time meeting his favorite player.

Last year, Adonis drew a picture of Ball, which went viral after his father shared it on his Instagram story with his 146 million followers. The 22-year-old subsequently sent Adonis a pair of his signature Puma shoes.

The six-year-old has been seen sporting Ball’s signature shoes on numerous occasions, including in his debut single “My Man Freestyle.”

While Adonis finally got to meet Ball on Sunday, he didn’t get to see the Hornets star suit up in Charlotte’s 111-106 road loss to Toronto. Ball has been out since Jan. 26 due to right ankle tendinopathy. Per Hornets coach Steve Clifford, he isn’t close to returning.

“He's doing the same stuff now he was doing two weeks ago,” Clifford said.

“He does whatever they (Charlotte's medical team) allow him to do. He wants to be back, but again, he doesn't feel healthy enough or comfortable enough to play. ... I know he wants to get back, there's just a lot of factors.”

Ball has only appeared in 22 games this season. However, he has still been effective when available, averaging 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.2 3-pointers per game on 43.3% shooting.

It remains to be seen if Ball returns over Charlotte’s (15-46) final 21 games.

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