The Chicago Bulls have turned into a contender during the current NBA(National Basketball Association) regular season, and the main reason why has been the play of 6’6” guard Lonzo Ball. Along with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, Ball has provided the team with a unique skill set on the perimeter, which compliments the strengths of his teammates very well.
The guard is currently on the shelf due to a left knee injury and decided to undergo surgery. The initial hope was that he would only miss four to six weeks, but the timeline is looking more like it will be six to eight weeks. Even with the current recovery prognosis, Ball still figures to return to the team with time to spare before the postseason begins. In his five NBA seasons, Ball’s teams have never qualified for the playoffs, so it will be interesting to see how he fares when the opposition can game plan for him over a seven-game series.
Lonzo Ball – Early Life
The 24-year-old point guard was born in Chino Hills, California to parents Tina and LaVar Ball in October 1997. Lonzo’s mother and father were both athletes in their younger days, and both played basketball in college, so the apple did not fall very far from the trees. Tina had a great career at Cal State Los Angeles, where she finished in the top ten of many categories in school history.
Meanwhile, LaVar played his college ball with the Washington State Beavers. He appeared in 26 games in the 1987-1988 campaign and averaged 2.2 points per game. Having Lonzo, and his two younger brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo reach the NBA was certainly a goal for LaVar. He had his sons working out at a young age, getting them trained from both a cardiovascular and physical strength perspective. The boys would compete with one another to better themselves on the court and in-home exercise activities.
Lonzo Ball – High School (Underclassman)
With the supreme level of conditioning that Ball was used to from his drills at home, maintaining a strong level of production throughout basketball games was not too difficult for him. Chino Hills High School basketball coach Steve Baik remembers seeing Lonzo at a basketball camp in sixth grade and recalls him making passes that many of his varsity players couldn’t.
It was a first impression that the coach would never forget, and the eldest Ball son had a roadmap to playing for the local institution. Nothing was promised to Lonzo however, as he had to work hard to make the varsity team coming into his freshman year. Ball spent a lot of time working on his craft, and not only made the varsity roster but starred on the squad. He made All-Sierra First Team, largely due to the impact that transcended his averages of 13.8 points per game and 2.1 assists.
The Chino Hills basketball team truly became Lonzo’s once senior Cameron Curry graduated, and Ball truly blossomed into an elite prospect that would catch the eyes of college programs everywhere. He averaged over six assists per game his sophomore campaign, and over three steals per contest as well. The basketball continuously found its way into Ball’s hands, and he would routinely make the correct decision with it in his possession.
Lonzo Ball – High School (Upperclassman)
As a junior, Ball ascended to an elite level. He recorded an eye-popping stat line, with averages of 25 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, five blocks, and five steals. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do, and he made pretty good high school players look like they were not worthy of sharing the court with him. But perhaps the most memorable season Ball has had to date in his basketball career came in his senior season with the Huskies.
While teaming up with his brothers, the oldest Ball son led the team to a perfect 35-0 record, and a state championship. Not only were his accomplishments impressive due to the impressive numbers he put up; doing alongside and with family members made the season incredibly special.
Lonzo Ball – College
From a young age, Ball had the attention of Pac-12 schools up and down the West Coast. while he could have attended many schools to continue his basketball career he decided to remain local and play with the UCLA Bruins. Ball would get to join a storied basketball program and maximize his exposure on the biggest stage.
He committed to playing his college ball in Westwood in 2014 while he was still a sophomore in high school. His first season with the Bruins would be his only one, but Ball put his imprint on the game with his well-rounded play. He averaged just over 14 points per game 6 rebounds and over 7 assists a night. Ball’s offensive game set up his teammates for easy shot attempts and his defense allowed him to be valuable for one or more purposes on the floor.
The point guard had some memorable games in the conference including posting career highs in assists with 14 against his father’s alma mater, Washington State. It wasn’t quite the Hollywood ending that he had in his senior year of high school, space but Ball led UCLA deep into the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2017 NCAA tournaments but were defeated by the University of Kentucky.
Lonzo Ball – Big Baller Brand
Even though Lonzo was slated to be one of the first players selected in the upcoming NBA draft, his family had plans to make him an icon before he ever set foot on a professional court. this was mostly due to Lonzo’s father Lavar wanting to create a new fashion label based on his sons’ athletic success. as a result, Big Baller Brand was born.
Lonzo Ball – Los Angeles Lakers
Since the retirement of Magic Johnson, the Los Angeles Lakers struggled to find a star point guard who could lead the team the way the Hall of Famer did in the 1980s and early 1990s. As fate would have it, the legendary Los Angeles superstar was the president of basketball operations for the team in advance of the 2017 NBA Draft. After a difficult season, the Lakers had the second overall pick in the draft. It was a first-round pick that could help bring the franchise out of a difficult period.
With this in mind, Los Angeles decided to keep the local prospect in the city of angels and selected Lonzo Ball with their draft pick. For Lonzo, and Lavar as well, it was the culmination of a lifetime of hard work and dedication.
As a supreme browser of everything happening on the court, Ball carried his natural playmaking ways right into the NBA, on a young team that needed direction. Usually, many players look to score the ball as much as possible early in their careers to prove their worth, but Lonzo was happy finding the open man and taking what the defense gave him.
However, the circumstances in Los Angeles changed drastically heading into his second season. At the drop of a hat, the team exited a rebuilding phase and automatically transitioned into a contending one. That’s because LeBron James decided to sign with the franchise, which changed their outlook almost literally overnight. With a win-now player now on-site in practice and during games, the logical question to ask was whether Ball’s style of play could mix with James’.
Rightfully so, the 15 year NBA veteran would expect to have the ball in his hands, which meant the second-year pro would have to play more without the basketball. While Lonzo’s statistics predictably dipped a little in year two, he still had some great moments. Towards the end of the year, he made franchise history by recording a triple-double with at least six three-pointers made in a contest against the San Antonio Spurs.
Lonzo Ball – The Trade to New Orleans Pelicans
The Lakers missed the playoffs in Lonzo’s second season with the team, although it should be noted that James missed a significant portion of the year due to injury. However, the writing was on the wall that the team wanted to swing for the fences in order to bring in a second legitimate star in his prime. Unfortunately for Ball, he was one of the most attractive assets Los Angeles had to offer in any package for a player of that caliber.
There were a bunch of rumors during the second half of the 2018-2019 season that the Lakers were pursuing Anthony Davis. Shortly after the campaign ended, the team pulled the trigger on the New Orleans Pelicans star, in a trade that sent Lonzo in the other direction. In addition, Los Angeles also sent Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, and a first-round pick in the 2023 and 2024 NBA Drafts to New Orleans, among other compensation.
New Orleans Pelicans – Career Summary
The former first-round pick would have a fresh start in New Orleans, away from the only home he had ever known in Southern California. In theory, he was the perfect type of player to lead their offensive attack, considering that New Orleans had drafted athletic phenom, Zion Williamson, from Duke just a couple of weeks before they traded for Ball.
He would go on to have two productive seasons as the main orchestrator of the Pelicans’ attack and increased the number of three-pointers he took per game. This was an area that many fans and NBA followers wondered about when Ball entered the league, but he showed more confidence and less hesitation when shooting beyond the arc. Unfortunately, the young talent New Orleans had did not result in much success in the win column, as they failed to qualify for the playoffs in each of the two seasons Ball was there.
Lonzo Ball – Chicago Bulls
Because he was with a small market franchise like New Orleans, and due to their lack of success on the court, there were many questions about how ardently the franchise would try to keep Ball on the team as he entered restricted free agency. The Pelicans decided to opt for future cap flexibility and sent Lonzo to Chicago in a sign and trade deal involving Tomas Satoransky and Garrett Temple.
Due to his presence, and his camaraderie with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso, the Bulls have leaped into the discussion for the best teams in the league this year. They are certainly squarely in the mix in the Eastern Conference as well.
The former first-round pick is averaging a career-high in field goal percentage in his first year in Chicago and is also shooting three-pointers better than he has in any of his previous seasons in the NBA. The priority for Chicago and Ball will be to return when he is completely healthy so that he can be a factor down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs.
Lonzo Ball – NBA Future
As Lonzo enters the prime of his career with a team that figures to have as good a chance as any to come out of the Eastern Conference, these may be the seasons that define his career. He has always been billed as a winning type of player dating back to his days at Chino Hills High School, and we will get to see whether those skills translate on the league’s biggest stage in April, May, and June.
