Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball has struggled to shoot the ball to start the season, but that’s likely not why Boston Celtics fans booed him in L.A.’s road loss Wednesday night.
Instead, their boos likely had more to do with the fact that Ball is a Laker, and the two teams have had a decade-spanning rivalry in which fans of each side have built up plenty of animosity towards the other one.
Because of that, Ball sounded like he totally understood the jeers when asked about them following the Lakers’ loss, via Bill Oram of the O.C. Register:
As for the boos, Ball acknowledged he heard them, but seemed unaffected.
“It’s their home,” he said. “I’d boo too if I was a fan.”
Ball’s teammate, Brandon Ingram, offered his take on the matter, saying getting booed comes with being the No. 2 pick, via Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times:
"That's something that comes with being the No. 2 pick. That's something that comes with being Lonzo Ball." Brandon Ingram on the boos
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) November 9, 2017
Ball is taking the right mindset for a young player by not taking the boos personally, because not only are they not really personal, having tons more to do with the laundry he’s wearing than anything he’s done (unless Celtics fans are booing him for wanting to be drafted by the Lakers), but they’ll also be far from the last boo birds to come for Ball.
Ball has been so hyped for so long that he’s likely going to get booed at times if he underperforms. He’s also going to get booed by plenty of opposing fanbases even if he plays well, because that’s what happens to good players that fans are trying to throw off of their game.
Either way, Boston will be far from the last arena to boo Ball, so he should probably just continue brushing his shoulder off and get used to it.
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