One of the highlights of Lonzo Ball’s rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers came during a road game against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James, in what would be his final season with the Cavaliers, pulled Ball aside for a postgame chat.
The clip went viral thanks to both players covering their mouths with their jerseys and James set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Ball recently shared on House of Highlights Show that this was the first time he had ever spoken with James. As for the infamous covering of the mouths, Ball had an explanation for that:
“People can blow things out of proportion, so we did it just to be safe … I didn’t say too many words, so I mean I didn’t really have to do it, but he did it, so I did it. It was one of those things.”
As Ball still will not reveal what James said to him, he shared his reaction after heading back to the locker room:
“I mean it really didn’t hit me until I got to the locker room like, ‘I just talked to my idol.’ I just watched him my whole life, so it was crazy. Like I said, it was great and then we get to become teammates… even crazier.”
Like Ball, many of the new players grew up watching James. Much like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan before him, James has inspired younger generations and continues to inspire young fans.
As Ball enters his first healthy offseason, he is looking forward to playing with James for the 2019-20 NBA season. Despite conflicting reports, Ball wants to remain with the Lakers and downplayed his camp’s demands during the 2018-19 NBA trade deadline.
