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Lonzo Ball

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Lonzo Ball
Ball playing in the 2016 McDonald's All-American Game
No. 2 – Los Angeles Lakers
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-10-27) October 27, 1997 (age 27)
Anaheim, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolChino Hills (Chino Hills, California)
CollegeUCLA (2016–2017)
NBA draft2017: 1st round, 2nd overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–presentLos Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Lonzo Anderson Ball (born October 27, 1997)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins, earning consensus first-team All-American honors before the Lakers selected him 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, and led his team to an undefeated record, as well as a national championship.[2][3] As a college freshman in 2016–17, he led the nation in assists and broke the UCLA record for most assists in a season. He also won the Wayman Tisdale Award as the top freshman in the nation.

Early life

Ball was born in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Anaheim, California,[1] to LaVar and Tina Ball, who were both former college basketball players.[4] The 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m) LaVar played at Washington State before transferring to Cal State Los Angeles, where the 6-foot (1.8 m) Tina was also playing.[5][6] A two-sport athlete, LaVar also played American football professionally for the London Monarchs in the World League of American Football.[1]

Ball started playing basketball at the age of two.[1] He grew up with his younger brothers, LiAngelo and LaMelo. Until they reached high school, the trio played together on teams coached by their father.[5] Ball played basketball at Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, California.[4] As a junior in 2014–15, he averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 5 blocks, and 5 steals.[7] In his senior year, he led the school to a 35–0 record and a state title, and the Huskies were ranked the consensus No. 1 team in the nation.[8][9] His younger brothers, junior LiAngelo and freshman LaMelo, were also on the team.[10] Ball averaged a triple-double with averages of 23.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 11.7 assists per game.[4] He received national honors including the Naismith Prep Player of the Year,[2][3] Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year,[11] USA Today Boys Basketball Player of the Year,[12] and Mr. Basketball USA.[13]

College career

Ball was rated a consensus five-star recruit by the major scouting services.[14] In November 2015, he signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and play for the Bruins.[15] As a freshman in 2016–17, he was one of 50 players named to the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award, given annually to the top college player in the nation.[16] Ball's vision and passing skills led UCLA's rise up the national rankings,[17] as he and fellow freshman T. J. Leaf helped the Bruins bounce back from a 15–17 record from the year before.[18] Ball led the nation in assists and transformed the Bruins into the top scoring offense in the country.[19] In his first collegiate game against Pacific, he had 19 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds. Later in the year, Ball was named the MVP of the Wooden Legacy tournament, after he led UCLA to a win over Texas A&M in the championship game.[20] He remained on the Wooden Award list in midseason, when he was also joined by Leaf, as UCLA was one of just five schools with two candidates on the list.[21]

In a 107–66 blowout win against Washington, Ball had 22 points, six rebounds, and five assists.[22] With close to two dozen NBA executives in attendance, the game matched Ball against the Huskies' Markelle Fultz, who were among the nation's top point guards and projected to be among the top picks in the 2017 NBA draft.[22][23] Fultz scored 25 points in an even matchup between the two freshman.[22] In the Bruins' regular season finale, Ball had a career-high 14 assists in a 77–68 win over Washington State, when he also broke Gary Payton's 30-year-old Pac-12 season record for assists by a freshman.[24][25] UCLA was seeded No. 3 in the NCAA Tournament, and won their opening game 97–80 over Kent State. Ball had 15 points and three assists to surpass Larry Drew II's school record for most assists in a season.[26] In the second round, he flirted with a triple-double with 18 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists in a 79–67 win over Cincinnati.[27] All of his assists came in the second half, when UCLA overcame a three-point halftime deficit after scoring a season-low 30 points in the first half.[28] The Bruins were eliminated in the Sweet 16, losing 86–75 to Kentucky. Ball had 10 points, eight assists, and four turnovers in the loss, while Wildcats point guard De'Aaron Fox scored 39 points for an NCAA tournament freshman record. Ball strained his hamstring in the game and was limping in the second half, but did not offer it as an excuse for being outplayed.[29][30] After the game, he announced his intention to declare for the 2017 NBA draft, where he was generally projected to be a top-3 pick.[29] He later hired an agent, which precluded him from returning back to college.[31]

For the season, Ball averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 assists, and 6.0 rebounds. He was the only player in the nation to average at least 14 points, six assists, and six rebounds, and was the first player in the conference since California's Jason Kidd in 1993–94 to average at least 14 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.[32][33] His 274 assists also passed Kidd (272) for the second-most in a season by a Pac-12 player, behind only Ahlon Lewis (294) of Arizona State in 1997–98.[34] Ball made 55.1 percent of his field goal attempts and 41.2 of his three-point attempts to become the first NCAA Division I player since 1992–93 to make at least 70 percent from 2-point range and 40 percent from 3-point range.[35][36] He was a unanimous first-team All-American, earning honors from the Associated Press,[37] United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA),[38] National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC),[39] and Sporting News.[40] Additionally, he was awarded the Wayman Tisdale Award by the USBWA as the top freshman in the nation.[41] Ball was the only freshman to be a finalist for the Wooden Award, Naismith College Player of the Year, and Oscar Robertson Trophy.[19][38][42] He was also voted Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and was named first-team All-Pac-12 along with teammates Leaf and Bryce Alford.[33] He also received honorable mention for the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.[43]

College statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 UCLA 36 36 35.1 .551 .412 .673 6.0 7.6 1.8 .8 14.6

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (2017–present)

On June 22, 2017, Ball was selected with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.[44] He became the Lakers' third straight choice for the second overall pick, with them previously taking D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram in 2015 and 2016 respectively. On July 3, 2017, Ball signed a four-year rookie scale contract with the Lakers.[45]

Ball won the MVP award for the NBA summer league in 2017.

Accomplishments and awards

College
High school
Ball making a pass at the 2016 McDonald's All-American game

Personal life

Ball's two brothers, LiAngelo and LaMelo, have also verbally committed to playing college basketball for UCLA.[49]

In May 2017, Big Baller Brand, owned by Ball's father LaVar, announced the release of Ball's first shoe, the ZO2.[50] The $495 price tag on the shoe sparked wide criticism from celebrities and on social media. In response to his critics, Lavar tweeted on May 4, "If you can't afford the ZO2'S, you're NOT a BIG BALLER!"[51]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Lonzo Ball". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b Meyer, Jerry (March 10, 2016). "Lonzo Ball wins Naismith Trophy". 247 Sports. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "UCLA-Bound Guard Lonzo Ball Named Naismith HS POY". Slam. March 10, 2016. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c Flores, Ronnie (April 25, 2016). "Mr. Basketball 2016: Lonzo Ball". CalHiSports.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b Stephens, Mitch (March 26, 2016). "The Architect: Father of the Ball brothers speaks about growth of Chino Hills". MaxPreps.com.
  6. ^ Parrish, Gary (July 30, 2015). "The Ball family -- coming to a basketball court (and TV) near you". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Gardner, Michelle (November 25, 2015). "Talented Ball brothers bring entertaining brand of basketball to Inland Empire". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  8. ^ Jordan, Jason (March 30, 2016). "McDonald's All American Lonzo Ball is finally proven, now he's focused on fun". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Chau, Danny (June 1, 2016). "Be Like Steph?". The Ringer. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  10. ^ Conor, Ryan (January 18, 2016). "Lonzo Ball, UCLA commit, wows at Hoophall Classic alongside brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo". The Springfield Republican. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "TWO POINT GUARDS EARN 2016 MORGAN WOOTTEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD" (PDF) (Press release). McDonald’s USA. March 9, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 26, 2016. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Halley, Jim (March 29, 2016). "ALL-USA Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills (Calif.)". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Flores, Ronnie (May 20, 2016). "Lonzo Ball Named Mr. Basketball USA". Ballislife. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Lonzo Ball". Verbal Commits. Archived from the original on May 24, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Powers, Shad (January 2, 2016). "ALL-USA Watch: Is Chino Hills' Lonzo Ball the most complete player in nation?". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Bolch, Ben (November 15, 2016). "UCLA basketball report: Steve Alford looking for leadership". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Giles, Matt (December 9, 2016). "UCLA's Lonzo Ball Is A Unique, Must-Watch Star". FiveThirtyEight. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Plaschke, Bill (March 17, 2017). "Dynamic freshman duo again carry the Bruins to victory". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ a b Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (March 19, 2017). "Lonzo Ball named finalist for Naismith Trophy". Los Angeles Daily News.
  20. ^ "UCLA finishes strong to beat Texas A&M for the Wooden Legacy title". LA Times. 2016-11-27. Retrieved 2017-06-10.
  21. ^ Brown, C. L. (January 11, 2017). "Maryland's Melo Trimble is only holdover from '16 Wooden Award Midseason Top 25". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ a b c Bolch, Ben (February 4, 2017). "Battle of star freshmen goes as advertised, but UCLA's Ball gets more support". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ Fowler, Clay (February 3, 2017). "UCLA-Washington men's basketball game pits nation's top point guards". Los Angeles Daily News.
  24. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 4, 2017). "Bryce Alford gets emotional in sendoff before UCLA's win over Washington State, 77-68". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ King, Jay (March 5, 2017). "2017 NBA Draft watch: Lonzo Ball provides more evidence -- Boston Celtics lucky to have a good pick coming". MassLive.com. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  26. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 17, 2017). "UCLA surges to win over Kent State with a flashy finish". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ Plaschke, Bill (March 19, 2017). "Bruins have a Ball while disposing of the Bearcats". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (March 19, 2017). "Sweet! Lonzo Ball leads UCLA past Cincinnati in NCAA Tournament". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ a b Forde, Pat (March 25, 2017). "How De'Aaron Fox ended Lonzo Ball's college career and lifted Kentucky to the brink of another Final Four". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ Kilgore, Adam (March 25, 2016). "De'Aaron Fox's record-breaking Sweet 16 placed him among Kentucky's recent greats". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ 2017-04-06 (2017-04-06). "Report: Lonzo Ball hires agent, files papers for NBA draft". Msn.com. Retrieved 2017-06-10. {{cite web}}: |author= has numeric name (help)
  32. ^ Norlander, Matt (March 29, 2017). "Sour end to NCAA Tournament doesn't change incredible season Lonzo Ball had". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ a b c Bolch, Ben (March 6, 2017). "UCLA's Lonzo Ball is Pac-12 freshman of the year and one of three Bruins on first team". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ Fowler, Clay (March 23, 2017). "Lonzo Ball actually realizing the Jason Kidd comparison". Inside UCLA. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ Bontemps, Tim (June 21, 2017). "For Lonzo Ball, talent isn't an issue heading into the NBA draft. Daddy issues are". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ Shelburne, Ramona (May 15, 2017). "Speak It Into Being". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ "Mason earns Consensus All-America First Team distinction". Salina Post. March 29, 2017. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ a b "USBWA NAMES MEN'S ALL-AMERICA TEAM, OSCAR ROBERTSON TROPHY FINALISTS" (Press release). U.S. Basketball Writers Association. March 13, 2016. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ Fowler, Clay (March 24, 2017). "UCLA's Lonzo Ball keeps collecting accolades". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  40. ^ DeCourcy, Mike (March 6, 2017). "Sporting News 2017 college basketball All-Americans". Sporting News. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 16, 2017). "UCLA teammates see two sides of freshman guard Lonzo Ball". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  42. ^ Brown, C. L. (March 28, 2017). "Lonzo Ball, Frank Mason III named to the Wooden Award All-American Team". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  43. ^ Fowler, Clay (March 7, 2017). "Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf, Bryce Alford named first-team All-Pac-12". Inside UCLA. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  44. ^ http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/170622-lakers-draft-lonzo-ball/
  45. ^ "Lakers Sign Ball, Kuzma and Hart". NBA.com. July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  46. ^ a b Sondheimer, Eric (April 2, 2016). "Chino Hills' Lonzo Ball is The Times' boys' basketball player of the year". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 20, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  47. ^ a b Guardabascio, Mike (April 30, 2016). "Lonzo Ball earns MVP honors at Ballislife All-American Game in Long Beach". Long Beach Press–Telegram. Archived from the original on May 19, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  48. ^ Flores, Ronnie (April 25, 2016). "Mr. Basketball 2016: Lonzo Ball". CalHiSports.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  49. ^ Plaschke, Bill (March 12, 2016). "At Chino Hills, the Ball brothers produce a perfect mix of flash and class". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  50. ^ "Ball debuts shoe line; main pair to cost $495". Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  51. ^ Tracy, Marc (2017-05-05). "At $495, Lonzo Ball's ZO2 Sneakers Have Tastemakers Saying No Thanks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
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