Lonzo Ball is a 26-year-old American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.
He was drafted 2nd overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 NBA Draft after a successful college career at UCLA.
As a rookie with the Lakers in 2017-18, Ball was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
He has since played for the New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls, though persistent knee injuries have limited his playing time in recent seasons.
Ball comes from a basketball family – his younger brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo are also professional players.
He has career averages of 11.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.
Siblings
Ball has two younger brothers who are also professional basketball players.
LiAngelo Ball was born on November 24, 1998 and is currently 25 years old.
He played college basketball at UCLA briefly before leaving the team.
LiAngelo went undrafted in the NBA but has played professionally in Lithuania, the G League, and the NBA Summer League. He is currently a free agent.
LaMelo Ball was born on August 22, 2001 and is currently 22 years old.
He played professionally in Lithuania and Australia before being drafted 3rd overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2020 NBA Draft.
LaMelo was named the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year and currently plays for the Charlotte Hornets.
The Ball brothers are known for their flashy style of play and their outspoken father, LaVar Ball, who has been heavily involved in promoting his sons’ basketball careers.
The three brothers have played together on some teams, including the Junior Basketball Association that LaVar founded.
College career
Ball played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins in 2016-17, where he had a dominant and record-breaking freshman campaign.
He led the nation in assists and broke the UCLA record for most assists in a season. He won the Wayman Tisdale Award as the top freshman in the nation.
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As a college freshman, Ball averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 55.1% from the field and 41.2% from three-point range.
In conference play, his averages improved to 15.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
Ball led UCLA to a 31-5 record and the Sweet Sixteen of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
After just one dominant season at UCLA, he declared for the 2017 NBA Draft and was selected 2nd overall by his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
NBA career
Ball was drafted 2nd overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 NBA Draft after a standout freshman season at UCLA.
As a rookie with the Lakers in 2017-18, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, averaging 10.2 points, 6.9 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game.
Over his first two seasons with the Lakers, Ball struggled with his shooting, making under 35% of his 3-point attempts.
However, he demonstrated strong playmaking and defensive abilities, leading the Lakers to improve their defensive efficiency when he was on the floor.
In 2019, Ball was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers.
With the Pelicans, Ball’s scoring and 3-point shooting improved, as he averaged 11.8 points, 6.1 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game over two seasons.
Prior to the 2021-22 season, he signed with the Chicago Bulls. He had his best statistical season, averaging 13.0 points, 5.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds while shooting a career-high 42.3% from 3-point range.
However, Ball missed most of the 2022-23 season due to a knee injury that required multiple surgeries.
Despite the injury setbacks, he has shown the potential to be an impactful two-way player when healthy, with his combination of playmaking, defense and improved shooting.
At just 26 years old, Ball still has time to continue developing and establishing himself as a key contributor in the NBA.
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