Lonzo Ball

Lonzo Ball is an American professional basketball player. He plays in the National Basketball Association for the Chicago Bulls. Prior to the Bulls, he played for the New Orleans Pelicans. He also played from 2017 to 2019 with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that drafted him into the NBA. During his rookie year with the NBA, Ball was named to the 2018 NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Player Profile

Lonzo Anderson Ball was born on October 27, 1997, in Anaheim, California in the United States of America. He stands 198 cm and his weight was last listed at 86 kg. A right-handed player, Ball is a point guard.

Ball’s parents, Tina and LaVar Ball, were both former professional basketball players. He and his family are part of a Facebook Watch reality show called “Ball in the Family”. In addition to his basketball career, Ball also has a music career. He also has two younger brothers, LaMelo Ball and LiAngelo Ball who are both NBA players.

He started playing basketball at the tender age of 2 and was coached by his father up until entering high school. This was together with his younger brothers and cousin, Andre.

High School and College Career

Ball was part of the basketball team of Chino Hills High School and had idolized Lebron James since the age of six.

His excellent performance during his high school years earned him national honors including Mr. Basketball USA, USA Today Boys Basketball Player of the Year, and the Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year.

He also became a five-star recruit and was ranked sixth in the nation by ESPN and Rivals.com in 2016. In the latter part of 2015, Ball declared his commitment to play for the Bruins of the University of California Los Angeles.

Bruins became one of the top college basketball teams in the nation with the entrance of Ball in the 2016-2017 season. Due to his excellent basketball performance, he was considered one of the prospects for the John R. Wooden Award and was named the Wooden Legacy tournament’s most valuable player. He was also the only freshman who was listed as a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Trophy and Naismith College Player of the Year.

By the end of his freshman season, he declared his intent to take part in the 2017 NBA draft.

Professional Career

The 2017 NBA draft made Ball the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers. During his first NBA Summer League, he was named the most valuable player. By early 2018, he was named NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In the 2018-2019 season, Ball became a dynamic and excellent defender. He did compete in many of the season’s games because of an injury. By July 2019, he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.

In August 2021, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls. He made his debut with the Bulls in October. A meniscus tear led him to miss games in January 2022. This led to surgery and the Bulls announcing that he would be ruled out for the remainder of the season.

He continued to suffer from injuries in 2022 and 2023. In June 2023, it was announced that Ball was not expected to play in the 2023-2024 season.