With the 2017 NBA Draft set to take place tomorrow, the Los Angeles Lakers are making their final preparations for making the second pick in the draft for the third straight year. All signs point to the team going with Lonzo Ball out of UCLA, and on Wednesday he along with 18 other top draft prospects, sat down for pre-draft interviews.
One of the many questions Ball was asked when he was available to the media ahead of the draft was what he took away from his meeting with Lakers president of basketball operations, Magic Johnson. The five-time NBA champion conveyed the message to be himself no matter what.
“Just be your own persona and don’t change for anyone,” Ball said of Magic’s message. “And whenever you can learn from a veteran, definitely try to.”
Ball also talked about potentially being drafted by the Lakers and what it will mean to him if he can dawn the purple and gold next season.
“It will mean a lot to play for my hometown [team] and learn from the best point guard ever.”
Now Ball can only sit back and wait to hear his fate in the NBA Draft on Thursday. It has always seemed like a foregone conclusion the Los Angeles native would land with the Lakers even before the team was officially in possession of the No. 2 pick.
Barring a last-minute trade on Wednesday or before the draft on Thursday, Ball’s purple and gold jersey may already be hanging up in a locker in Los Angeles.
All the Paul George trade rumors still make this the team’s pick uncertain regarding whether they keep or trade it before Silver heads to the podium, but as of right now Lonzo Ball’s future seems to coincide with the storied franchise.