There's nothing better than bringing on a hometown kid to a team that's been struggling with the hopes that he'll change the franchise around. The most recent example can be seen in the Cleveland Cavaliers trading LeBron James following their horrid 17-65 season in 2002-2003. It immediately panned out for the small market Cavaliers, who went to their first NBA Finals and even won the NBA Championship when James returned for his second stint in 2014.
The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping that same will occur with the drafting of Chino Hills native and UCLA guard Lonzo Ball, who was selected No. 2 overall in this year's NBA Draft. Ball comes into the league and into one of the biggest NBA markets with sky-high expectations set by both his father LaVar Ball, who said his son will be taking the Lakes to the postseason again, and Lakers' general manager Magic Johnson, who told Lonzo to leave him a record or two by the end of his career.
Lonzo is so beloved by the city of Los Angeles, that artist Jonas Never designed and create a stunning mural of Ball outside of the Spectrum SportsNet building in Los Angeles. In addition to that, Ball added the perfect touch by going to see the mural himself and even signing it.
Longtime Lakers fan & street artist Jonas Never painted a mural of Lonzo Ball that is now outside of @SpectrumSN. Lonzo also signed it pic.twitter.com/pmyyZeEBXD
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) June 25, 2017
Clearly, Ball has lofty expectations in L.A., and it looks like there's no one better suited for the job. Lakers fans are hoping he can help bring their team back to league dominance one breathtaking pass and clutch shot at a time.
Follow Us
Subscribe