Lonzo Ball

Lonzo Ball

Lonzo Anderson Ball is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft. As a high school senior at Chino Hills High School in 2016, Ball was awarded multiple national high school player of the year honors. In November 2015, he signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of California, Los Angeles, and play for the Bruins. He played college basketball for one season with the Bruins, earning consensus first-team All-American honors.

About Lonzo Ball in brief

Summary Lonzo BallLonzo Anderson Ball is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association. As a high school senior at Chino Hills High School in 2016, Ball was awarded multiple national high school player of the year honors. He led his team, alongside his brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo, to an undefeated record, as well as a national championship. In November 2015, he signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of California, Los Angeles, and play for the Bruins. He played college basketball for one season with the Bruins, earning consensus first-team All-American honors before the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft. As an NBA rookie with the Lakers, his playing time was limited by shoulder and knee injuries, and he was sidelined for much of his second season after an ankle injury. He was traded at the end of the season to the Pelicans in a trade package for Anthony Davis. Ball started playing basketball at the age of two. He idolized LeBron James, who he began following around age six and when James was a first-year NBA player with Cleveland. The 6-foot-6-inch Ball was born in Anaheim, California, to LaVar and Tina Ball, who were both former college basketball players. LaVar played at Washington State before transferring to Cal State Los Angeles. He also played American football professionally for the London Monarchs in the World League of American Football.

Ball was rated as a consensus five-star recruit by major scouting services, and was ranked No. 4 overall recruit and No. 1 point guard in the 2016 high school class. He averaged a triple-double with averages of 23. 9 points, 11. 3 rebounds, and 11. 7 assists per game. He broke the UCLA record for the most assists in a season. Ball also won the Wayman Tisdale Award as the top freshman in the nation. In the Pac-12 Tournament, he was named the MVP of the Wooden Legacy tournament, after he led UCLA to a win over Texas A&M in the championship game. Ball’s vision and passing skills led UCLA’s rise up the national rankings, as he and fellow freshman T. J. Leaf helped the Bruins bounce back from a 15–17 record from the year before. He had a career-high 14 assists in the Bruins’ regular season finale, when he also broke Gary Payton’s 30-year-old Pac- 12 Tournament record. In a 107–66 blowout win against the Washington Huskies, the game matched Ball against Markelle Fultz, who was among the nation’s top point guards and projected to be among the top picks in the 2017 draft. With close to two dozen NBA executives in attendance, Ball had 22 points, six rebounds, five assists, and five rebounds, in the game against the Huskies. In the game, Ball matched Ball and Fultz in an even matchup between the two freshmen.