In a recent chat with CBS Los Angeles, Bulls star Lonzo Ball spoke about all kinds of different things, from his NBA career to his connection to Los Angeles. He also reflected on his partnership with LeBron James, who joined the Purple and Gold back in 2018.
According to Zo, playing with James was a great honor and not something that he will forget anytime soon.
“Just playing for the home team,” Ball said in response to his favorite Lakers memory (h/t ClutchPoints). “You know, being a Lakers fan growing up, watching all the greats, and then being able to put that jersey on was great.”
“He (LeBron) was my favorite player growing up. Being able to share the court with him and learn from him was a time of my life I’ll never get back, I’ll never take for granted.”
Lonzo didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with LeBron, but he fared pretty well sharing the court with him, as most do when he’s at the top of his game.
As for a particular moment that stands out to Lonzo, he described the best piece of advice LeBron ever gave him last year.
In his episode of Who’s Interviewing Who from Uninterrupted, the young point guard detailed one of his lasting memories of his time with the team, the time LeBron James gave him some advice amid a rough season.
“I think the best advice I got was from LeBron so far, he sat me down one time in the locker room. Obviously, he’s been through everything, he kinda knew all the crazy stuff I was going through when I first got to the league and he told me ‘Keep the main thing, the main thing’. That probably stuck with me the most. Once you take care of what you got to take care of on the court, the everything falls into place.”
It can be easy to forget Ball’s tenure in Los Angeles today. After being drafted 2nd overall by the Lakers in 2017, he spent two seasons with the franchise, where he averaged 10 points, 6.4 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game on 38% shooting.
He moved on to New Orleans, where he improved his stats and his consistency in a growing role alongside Brandon Ingram. Now, with the Bulls, he’s one of the core players of a team that is looking to make some serious noise in the East.
We will see if Lonzo is able to take all he has learned from LeBron (and others) to turn in the best season of his career.
