Former Los Angeles Laker Lonzo Ball, 28, was reported earlier today to have retired from the NBA, but the former second overall pick denied the rumors, prompting many accounts and media outlets to delete posts across their platforms.

Ball initially made comments on his podcast where he said, “To be honest, I don’t think I ever got to my peak. And damn, that s— sucks.”

Accounts across social media then assumed he was done, especially the famous NBA breaking news account UnderdogNBA on X, and other handles quickly followed.

Ball then took to X, saying, “I retired? News to me lol cuz I’m still waiting for a call… NBA season long .”

Social media accounts, media outlets, and news pages scrambled to delete their posts, as Underdog, a fantasy sports app, had become a fairly reliable source for breaking news over the past few years. They have built X handles for almost every sport for breaking news and have rarely had mishaps, which likely led major news outlets to trust them for breaking news.

Ball, who is currently a free agent, mentioned at the end of the tweet that he is “waiting for a call.”

This means Ball wants to get back up and running in the NBA, despite a career marked by unlucky injuries for the former top prospect.

Diving further into his quote, Ball said he “hasn’t reached his peak,” likely implying that injuries have taken that from him without him wanting to stop playing basketball.

The chance we see Ball back on the court is still uncertain.

Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball suffered a torn meniscus in January 2022. It was Ball’s fifth season in the NBA, his first with the Bulls, and nobody could have foreseen that the injury would sideline him for the better part of the next three seasons.

He underwent at least three additional surgeries in the next year after experiencing significant pain during physical rehabilitation. The last procedure was a knee cartilage transplant. Two years later, Ball was able to make a full return, and he hosted the family of his cartilage donor at Wednesday’s 119-111 win over the Miami Heat.

The donor, Alex Reinhardt, died in February 2023 at age 20. In the years since, the Reinhardts have received messages of gratitude from donor recipients, including Ball.

“It’s been extremely emotional,” said Reinhardt’s mother Angie. “So much happiness comes with it, too. All of the people that are donor recipients of Alex’s, we’re just blessed. We’ve had mothers from some people that have said things. Now we get to meet Lonzo. It’s just a blessing to be able to watch people do well with their knees or anything because of Alex. Of course, we wish he was here.”

While a sprained wrist kept Ball from playing in the game, he took pictures and signed jerseys with Reinhardt’s parents, siblings, and soon-to-be sister-in-law. At one point, he tugged up the hem of his sweatpants to show his scarred knee to the family, saying, “It changed my life.”

Angie Reinhardt is an occupational therapist, and her husband, Carl, is a medical sales representative. They understand the miracle of Ball’s return to the NBA, where he’s been able to play 35 games this season – and that it wouldn’t have been possible without Alex.

“To be able to keep helping people after his death really feels like a blessing to all of us,” said Angie.

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball returned to the floor for the first time in nearly three years Wednesday night. The recovering star scored 10 points on six shots in 15 minutes during a preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“It felt a lot better playing than watching, I’ll tell you that much,” Ball said after the game. “I can’t really put into words how I felt out there, I was just blessed, happy to be out there, man. All the support around me was great, all night. It was definitely a moment I’ll never forget.”

Ball had not appeared in an NBA contest since January 2022, and has since received three surgeries to repair severe damage and cartilage loss to his left knee. Many thought his injuries would end his career. Not only is Ball back, but he played well in his first appearance, making his first two shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter.

Though the Bulls will likely be patient with Ball to begin the 2024-25 season, he could become an important role player for a team trying to re-enter playoff contention. 

When the Bulls acquired the point guard in a trade with the Lakers in 2021, they intended to enlist him as a facilitator for stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine. DeRozan left this past offseason, but Lavine, Coby White and promising rookie Matas Buzelis could form a core with an outside chance at a postseason berth. Ball’s role in that system could be a decisive step in the right direction.

But while it’s tempting to consider the Bulls’ prospects and Ball’s potential involvement in them, his performance Wednesday was merely a chance for him to get on the floor again. Against all odds, the former first-round pick proved that he still has something to offer at age 26.

The Disable Player Exception the NBA granted to Chicago for point guard Lonzo Ball was for $10.2 million, as he is slated to miss the entire 2023-2024 season for the Bulls, according to NBA Insider Shams Charania.

After the NBA Draft last month, Bulls vice president Arturas Karnišovas met with reporters and gave a brutal update on the 25-year-old that has battled through injuries in his young career so far.

“Going into the offseason, our expectation is that he’s not coming back next season,” Karnišovas said. “He’s going to continue on his recovery. If he comes back, it would be great. But we’re just going to treat this offseason and get ready for the season that he’s not going to be back.”

The former second-overall pick (UCLA) from the 2017 NBA Draft had cartilage transplant surgery on his left knee back in March, his third knee surgery since January 2022. This added six months of rehab and recovery time, impacting this upcoming NBA season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

This same injury plagued the tail end of his first year with Chicago, as it ended with him out for the year after a meniscus tear cost him a few weeks. During rehab, the setback he experienced post-surgery on the same knee was worse enough to declare him out for the remainder of the 2021-2022 season.

Only appearing in 35 games, this injury Lonzo suffered lingered on to the NBA 2022-2023 season, as he would be out for its entirety as well. With potentially three seasons affected by the same knee, Lonzo did have his best shooting season in Chicago, even in that short span of time, playing with shooting guard Zach LaVine and small forward Demar DeRozan.

That includes his time with the team he was drafted by, the Los Angeles Lakers for two seasons, and the New Orleans Pelicans for two seasons, as his field goal percentage (42%) and 3-point percentage (42%) with the Bulls were career highs. In 2021, Lonzo was the only NBA player to average five rebounds and five assists and shoot over 40% on 3s.

The last time he made an appearance for the Bulls healthy enough, Chicago was 27-13 on top of the Eastern Conference in 2021. Lonzo was traded on a sign-and-trade deal from New Orleans to Chicago in August 2021 and signed a four-year, $85 million contract extension. The Pelicans received Tomáš Satoranský, now part of the FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, and current free agent Garrett Temple plus draft picks from that deal.

But now with money to spend with Lonzo’s injury designation and a roster spot, the Bulls could either trade for a player on their last year, sign a player to a one-year deal, or claim a waived player. Chicago has plenty of options, as that exception could be used either this summer or during the season.

So far, the only real addition was point guard Jevon Carter, as they brought him in free agency and re-signed backup shooting guard Coby White to an extension worth $40 million over three years. Carter could fill the void left with Lonzo out, as the Milwaukee Bucks received major contributions from him last season with veteran 31-year-old Khris Middleton easing back from injury. The 27-year-old could play the same role here as an important defender with another squad.

Although they have point guard Alex Caruso starting, there are heavy rumors the 29-year-old veteran defender will be traded. This Bulls team, other than LaVine, DeRozan, and 32-year-old veteran center Nikola Vučević, is lacking star talent in general and efficient three-point shooters. Chicago last season was dead last in the NBA made and attempted three-pointers, as a move prior to or during the trade deadline could or even a free agent pickup could improve that side of the team.

This is where Lonzo’s disabled player exception can come in handy, as the Bulls were 40-42, ranked 10th in the Eastern Conference. A major play for a player through the exception could help the team reach the playoffs again like the year before this past season.

The Los Angeles Clippers are interested in signing Lonzo Ball.

The New Orleans Pelicans point guard will be a free agent this summer, and the Pelicans are unable to match a significant offer for Ball.

Ball, who turns 24 in October, averaged 14.6 points, 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. His 14.6 points was a career-high, and he improved his three-point shooting (37.8 percent).

The Pelicans finished the regular season 31-41 and missed out on the play-in tournament in the Western Conference.

The Clippers had previously shown interest in the point guard. Before the March trade deadline, the team explored potential deals, but no trade was drawn up. However, the Clippers will have a tough time exploring ways to either trade or sign the soon-to-be restricted free agent. Los Angeles will be unable to sign Ball if All-Star Kawhi Leonard re-signs with the team. It would put the team over the salary cap.

A sign-and-trade deal could be used, but the Clippers do not have the assets to pull it off. The Clippers gave up the majority of their valuable assets when they traded for Paul George. The Pelicans will not be interested in any of the Clippers’ veterans if a sign-and-trade deal were to happen. Additionally, Los Angeles is not the only team interested in the young point guard. The Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks are among other interested teams. They also have more assets to give New Orleans in exchange for Ball’s services.

The young point guard could be a good fit with the Clippers. The 24-year-old has experience playing next to a ball-dominant scorer in Brandon Ingram. Ball would have no trouble playing alongside Leonard and George if Los Angeles is able to put together a fair offer.

In a time when clutch performances are necessary, Lonzo Ball is stepping up for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Ball tied a career high by putting up 33 points Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors, including a step-back 18-foot dagger off of one leg to seal the win for the Pelicans with 25.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter. This game followed an abysmal performance Monday night, also against the Warriors in which Ball shot 3 of 18 from the floor, and the Pelicans lost by 15. After that game, Ball texted teammate Zion Williamson, letting him know that he would “be there tomorrow” for the rematch.

The Pelicans are in the midst of a crucial part of the season, as they attempt to make a push into the play-in tournament of the NBA Playoffs. They currently sit two games behind the San Antonio Spurs, who currently hold the 10th seed in the Western Conference. Looking ahead, the Pelicans have a somewhat difficult road, as they start a five-game road trip against the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies and the Warriors, before ending at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the Spurs currently have the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA.

Ball following up on his text to Williamson is promising, especially considering this is the second time in three games he has scored 33 points. The Pelicans will need their guard to be on point down the stretch if they want a chance to play postseason ball.

LiAngelo Ball has been offered a NBA G League Contract with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Oklahoma Thunder’s affiliate team. The 21-year-old last played in the Junior Basketball Association, (JBA) a league created by his father Lavar Ball as an alternative to college basketball. LiAngelo has been working out with the Blue for two months and sources suggest he will sign the contract very soon, according to NBA.com. The Blue have 12 games left on their schedule.

Originally recruited by UCLA in 2017, Ball only made one appearance in preseason for the Bruins after being suspended indefinitely by the university for his role in a shoplifting case in Hangzhou, China. Shortly after, LiAngelo announced his withdrawal from the University on December 4, 2017, and later joined his brother LaMelo to play for BC Prienai of the Lithuania Basketball League in January 2018. In 14 games played, LiAngelo averaged 12.6 points and 2.9 rebounds a game while shooting 42.5% from the field.

Before playing sparingly in the JBA, Ball entered the 2018 NBA Draft but was not selected. His talent level was always questioned and league sources never saw him becoming a player that could be a contributor on an NBA team, but this contract definitely gives him another chance to prove his worth. His father Lavar appeared on FS1’s “Undisputed” and made a bold prediction Tuesday.

“Gelo’s always been the best scorer, everywhere he go,” LaVar said. “When he gets in the NBA, within three years, I guarantee he’s the scoring champ—guarantee.”

SLIDESHOW: 50 GREAT SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019

LiAngelo is the brother of Pelicans’ point guard Lonzo Ball and projected 2020 NBA Draft first round pick LaMelo Ball. His contract offer was first reported by The Athletic.

LaMelo Ball has been impressing NBA scouts in Australia and is projected by experts to be selected first overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. When asked if he should be drafted first Ball told Yahoo Sports, “Most Definitely. I believe in myself and I’ve worked hard to get here.”

Originally, LaMelo made headlines when he joined his brother Liangelo Ball on the varsity basketball team at Chino Hills in California when he was just 14 years old. He is the youngest Ball brother and possibly the best athlete in the family. His oldest brother Lonzo Ball was traded to the Pelicans this offseason after spending two years with the Lakers.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5mCDPQFSSq/

In 2017, LaMelo signed a contract to play professionally in Lithuania with BC Prienai after his father Lavar Ball pulled him out of high school due to a dispute with the coach.  He was joined by his other older brother Liangelo, who had a scholarship to play at UCLA, but left amid a suspension for shoplifting with his teammates while they were in China.

Moving to Lithuania for three months was an interesting choice by his boisterous father Lavar who faced backlash for making LaMelo ineglible to play in the NCAA by having him sign a professional contract at age 16.  LaMelo only averaged 6.5 ppg and shot 27% from the field. ESPN’s Jeff Goodman spoke to his teammates at the time and they used the words ‘lazy’ and ‘arrogant’ when referring to Ball.

Since then LaMelo has definitely worked on his game and is currently measured at 6’7. Now playing on the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League in Austrailia, Ball is averaging 17ppg., 7 apg and 7.5 rpg through 12 games. Last week he set the record for the youngest player to record a triple double in NBL history at just 18 years old.

Based on game film he appears to have better ball-handling and shooting skills than his brother Lonzo. His teammate and former NBA player, Aaron Brooks, said, “The stuff I see is NBA stuff. His IQ is amazing. There’s no doubt about it. He’s ready for the NBA. His ceiling is so high.”

“I don’t want to be a player that’s just drafted and is a role player in the NBA. I want to keep rising from there and be one of the best to ever play the game. I’ve been working my whole life for this,” Lamelo told Yahoo Sports.

During a conversation between Brooks and LaMelo, Brooks was praising Lonzo’s talents when LaMelo responded emphatically, “I’m better.”

Unfortunately for the young star, doctors forced former Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram to halt his impressive 18.3 points per game campaign early last year after detecting a blood clot in his right arm. The clot forced Ingram into a UCLA hospital this spring, where he eventually underwent successful, yet season-ending surgery.

That setback occurred months ago however, and just this week Ingram assured the media he plans to return sooner rather than later during his New Orleans Pelicans inaugural conference. Although he neglected to offer up a specific timetable for his return, Ingram stated that he is “pretty close.” Ingram also mentioned his growing progress regarding his ball-handling, lower body workouts, and passing skills. Although he still refrains from shooting balls until further healed, Ingram announced he’s also put in work on his shooting form alone during his recovery.

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka sent Ingram packing early this summer as part of a blockbuster trade that landed the Lakers superstar forward Anthony Davis. Pelinka paired him alongside LeBron James to form an all–time elite NBA tandem. Other former Lakers such as Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart accompanied Ingram to New Orleans this summer, as the team is now gearing up to assemble a youthful yet talented squad with first overall pick Zion Williamson. Derrick Favors also joined the Los Angeles-turned-New-Orleans young core by coming in from the Utah Jazz to complete the three–team deal.

SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 – IN MEMORIAM SLIDESHOW 

Moving forward, the Pelicans poise to watch Ingram with close attention, as a similar health concern forced 11-time All–Star Chris Bosh into an early retirement not too long ago.

No player like Zion Williamson has caused this much stir around the league since LeBron James entering the NBA back in 2003.

Williamson has it all: the size, the athleticism, the strength and the knack for scoring whenever he feels like it. The projected No. 1 pick in this year’s draft is one of the most talked-about players of his generation, immersed with talent and upside. Shoe endorsers will be fighting tooth and nail for this guys’ signature, and according to Fox Business, Williamson could be looking at a $100 million sneaker deal.

The legendary sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro says he thinks Adidas will win the race for Williamson. “They lost out to Nike on LeBron because they didn’t pay the money,” he said, according to Footwear News. “But if I’m Adidas, I’m going to [go all in this time].”

Williamson hasn’t given any hints, and has kept the media guessing too. In a workout on May 31, he was wearing Nike Kyrie 4s, but there may not be anything too much to look into there, as his former collegiate team Duke is endorsed by Nike. At the same time, Williamson has a hesitant relationship with Nike after he famously blew out a Nike shoe during a February 20 game against rivals North Carolina, during which he ended up spraining his knee.

According to CBS News, Nike stock fell $1 billion dollars after the incident, but has recovered since.

SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019- TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

If Zion were to sign the supposed $100 million deal, he would exceed James’ rookie deal with Nike ($87 million) back in 2003.

The Duke star averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds a game in his freshman season at Duke, and seemed to step up for the big moments for Duke as he scored over 29 points a game in the ACC Tournament and over 23 in the NCAA Tournament.

If and when Williamson gets selected by the New Orleans Pelicans, he will be joining a young team with fruitful talent alongside Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Jrue Holiday, Josh Hart and Elfrid Payton. 

The newest additions of the New Orleans Pelicans may not be in their prime years, but the upside and potential of the overall squad is menacing. Lonzo Ball (21), Brandon Ingram (21), presumptive No. 1 pick Zion Williamson (18), Jahlil Okafor (23), Josh Hart (24) and Elfrid Payton (25), along with some key veterans that will be a mentor to the up-and-comers like Jrue Holiday and Soloman Hill.

Not to mention, the Pelicans also have the No. 4 pick in the draft on Thursday, where they could draft Jarrett Culver (20) or De’Andre Hunter (21).

David Griffin has bought in for the future. Along with his young squad, head coach Alvin Gentry has extended his contract through 2021.

“We couldn’t be happier to extend our relationship with Alvin,” Griffin said in a statement, according to ESPN. “He is exactly the right coach at the right time for this franchise. As I have mentioned several times previously, the shared vision we have for the future of Pelicans basketball both on and off the floor will enable us to build a roster that fits both culturally and tactically.”

The Pelicans definitely didn’t impress anyone last year with their 33-49 record, but won 48 games the season before, making it to the Western Conference Semi-finals before losing to the Golden State Warriors. With this rebuild, Gentry has the opportunity to make serious adjustments to his offensive style of coaching around excited prospects. Gentry has been the head coach for five different franchises and has been in the NBA since 1989.

SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019- TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The bit that analysts are concerned about regarding the Pelicans is their lack of shooters in the squad. Ball, in his NBA career, averages 10 points a game, while Ingram averages just shy of 14. It remains to be seen how well Williamson will score from the outside in the NBA, but don’t question his ability inside.

What the Pelicans don’t lack is an edge of defense in the backcourt. Holiday was named first-team defense in the 2017-2018 season and second-team last year. Ball also contributes to this new defense, as he averages 1.6 steals a game and 31 blocks a season.

Basketball’s most talked about 17-year-old, LaMelo Ball, announced on ESPN’s The Jump this week that he will be heading to Australia to play for the Illawarra Hawks in the NBL.

The Wollongong-based team is located just shy of 60 miles away from Sydney, and will be looking to develop his talents ahead of him going to the NBA Draft next year. Lonzo Ball’s youngest brother has been in the spotlight of high school basketball ever since his Chino Hills high school games went viral on the internet, as all three Lonzo, LaMelo and their middle brother LiAngelo were on the same team.

LaVar Ball, the father of the three Ball brothers, pulled LaMelo out of Chino Hills to play in Lithuania as a 16-year-old. After playing in Lithuania’s professional league for around four months, LaMelo came back to the States to finish high school at the Spire Academy in Ohio. Former NBA Player Jermaine Jackson coached Ball at Spire, and will be going to Australia with him to help Ball develop into his desired No. 1 pick of the 2020 NBA Draft.

“My agents did a ton of research on the options I had to play this coming season, and Australia really made sense for me,” Ball said to ESPN. “They have a really strong league, with excellent coaches and great players, including former and future NBA players, and great strength and conditioning programs. My goal is to be the top pick in next year’s draft, and I feel they can help me reach that goal. Also, the timing of the season works well with the timing of next year’s draft.”

SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019- TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The NBL has increased dramatically in talent over the last few months, with ESPN’s No. 5 prospect RJ Hampton declaring that he will be playing for the New Zealand Breakers for a year before the 2020 Draft, denying the option to play in the NCAA. LaMelo was expected to not play for the NCAA, as he has his own shoe brand and income that would be a violation of the NCAA rules.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have LaMelo coming to join the NBL this season,” NBL CEO Jeremy Loeliger said to ESPN. “I think it’s a real win-win situation for everyone involved. It gives him a fantastic opportunity to play against some hardened professionals, which I think will do wonders in terms of getting him ready for his rookie year in the NBA. He’ll get the chance to answer a lot of questions being asked by a lot of people — and everything I’ve seen makes me think he’s going to take a lot of them by surprise.”

Lonzo Ball was recently traded to the New Orleans Pelicans as a major asset for Anthony Davis. LaVar Ball was asked what he thought of as the Los Angeles Lakers traded away his son, and he was typical LaVar.

With Father’s Day just around the corner, checking in once again with basketball’s most charismatic father felt like an all but too mandatory affair to dismiss. During Tuesday’s early hours, LaVar Ball joined multiple Fox Sports One telecasts to express his opinions amid the continuous turnover within the Los Angeles Lakers organization.

Alongside Shannon Sharpe, Skip Bayless, Jason Whitlock and Marcellus Wiley, Ball offered input detailing GM Magic Johnson, new GM Rob Pelinka, and owner Jeanie Buss, all of which displayed the trio as a flawed assembly, adding to the already mountainous pile of stories that already do the same.

Throughout his always entertaining dialogue, which during past events even included one–one–one blacktop basketball challenges against LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Ice Cube, Ball expressed his ongoing distrust during his encounters with Lakers front office members. Most notably, Ball mentioned a discussion between Johnson and Pelinka where the two led Ball to believe a roster spot stood accessible for his second son, LiAngelo Ball. This potential deal would have allied two Ball children, teaming them up in the purple and gold.

Ball illustrated the unfulfilled promise as he stated, “Yes Magic and Rob Pelinka did behind closed doors” once asked whether or not the two executives declared their original intentions to sign LiAngelo. Ball later included his surprise after last year’s offseason plans failed to include LiAngelo as he mentioned, “One of the things they told me is, ‘We keep family together.’ Now if you want Lonzo [Ball] to lead this team, why don’t you get a piece that works well with him which is his brother? You gotta get ‘Gelo [LiAngelo Ball] first. You at least got to give him a chance to play with Lonzo. You should have at least got him in Summer League. I thought they were going to take him with the last pick.”

During his afternoon shift, Ball’s slam dunk on the Los Angeles front office continued. Ball held little back during a rant, which included numerous jabs at Buss. Since acquiring the Lakers, scrutiny such as this stands as no stranger to Buss, as the media often criticizes her team involvement, decisions and overall rights to the team.  Although Ball exerted cautious respect for his son’s employer, he stuck to his remarks, clearly establishing his negative feelings for Buss by calling her “sensitive” and agreeing with the view that she makes emotional decisions.

Once moving on from announcing his disappointment regarding the Lakers’ front office, Ball visited the familiar topic of his oldest son’s current status as a Laker. As expected, Ball spoke favorably when analyzing his son. Ball first disclosed any story reporting a possible trade involving Lonzo, as he stated, “The Lakers won’t trade Lonzo, he’s marketable. You don’t have to worry about him about him being in trouble. He doesn’t do any drugs.” He later claimed Lonzo’s play style resembles James’, contributing to multiple reasons as to why a James departure from Los Angeles remains preposterous.

Despite his clear connections to the Lakers, Ball holds no effective decision-making powers. However, Ball included his blueprint to fix the troublesome Lakers, which curiously included reuniting James with pending free–agent point guard Kyrie Irivng and also finally fulfilling the promise to make LiAngelo Ball a Laker. While Ball remains a somewhat comical character within the NBA universe, his former statements and predictions regarding Luke Walton and Johnson now appear logical rather than radical, as both find themselves unemployed. With an entertaining offseason ahead, we’ll soon find out if Ball indeed is onto something.

Lonzo Ball is cutting ties left and right and striving for some sort of independence. After rising to fame under the wing of his overbearing father, Lavar Ball, the 21-year-old Los Angeles Lakers guard is developing into his own person.

On Friday, April 5, Ball mutually agreed to part way with his agent, Harrison Gaines.

“Harrison Gaines has been a trusted advisor and close friend for many years,” he said in a statement. “He guided my NBA career with integrity and always had my best interests at heart.”

The announcement comes just two weeks after Ball cut ties with former Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster as well as suing him for damages of at least $2 million. Despite that, he insists that Gaines supported him throughout the situation and that the timing has no relation to it.

“Harrison has always had my back and although we will no longer be working together after mutually deciding to part ways; our relationship will always be bigger than basketball,” Ball added.

Gaines has been Ball’s agent since he left UCLA after his freshman season. However, he never became part of the Big Baller Brand that the Ball family pushed for years. Instead, he founded his own agency, SLASH Sports, with which he represents former NBA prospect Xavier Thames and former NBA players Jamaal Franklin, Isaiah Austin and Jabari Brown.

“Lonzo Ball was the first client to sign with me. He has been nothing short of phenomenal and is one of the bright young NBA Stars. I thank him and his family for giving me an opportunity,” Gaines said when the news broke. “Mutually, we have decided to part ways. I wish Lonzo great success in the future. As I turn this page, I will continue to work hard for all of my clients.”

Despite seperating from the Big Baller Brand, Ball is not finding an agent on his own. His father has been present with him during meetings with prospective agents and has been inquiring about teaming up his three sons all together on one NBA team.

Perennial All-Star Lebron James hasn’t had a spectacular season in his first with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s currently missed the most games of his career in a year and is now on a team sitting at .500 towards the end of February. While he may have complained about a lack of support during his time as a Cleveland Cav, he’s finding even less help now. A front office led by Magic Johnson has pulled more tampering fines than perennial all-stars after striking out on Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis.

Now Lebron has even less help. Young star Lonzo Ball will miss most of their playoff push. Ball has been sidelined with an ankle injury since mid-January that he seems to have had an extremely slow recovery from. The injury, diagnosed as a grade 3 ankle sprain, was said to take four to six weeks to recover from. However, as those dates loom closer Ball has been notably absent from even practice courts. If he does return on time for mid-March, he’ll have missed most of a crucial stretch.

A grade 3 sprain typically is the worst of all possible sprains to an ankle. It’s a full tearing of the ligaments. With the injury, an athlete will feel unstable on their joint and won’t be able to support much weight, if any at all. Grade 3 injuries typically take 8 to 12 weeks and the Lakers recovery time frame given appears to be an effort to push Ball back for a late season run.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The UCLA product missed 30 games last season. Following a lackluster showing for the no. 2 overall pick, he had part of his meniscus removed in the offseason. Currently, there are reports that Ball is dealing with a bone bruise that will only lengthen his recovery time. James, who has made the finals for eight consecutive years, is in serious danger of losing that streak. In the tougher Western conference, he’s now struggling to lift a young team to even the playoffs. For a star at 34 years old who’ll soon decline, things do not look bright. LA must make big moves soon in order to prolong the success of Lebron.

LaMelo Ball is returning to high school after playing professionally in Lithuania. It’s a move that his new school, The Spire Institute in Ohio, said was made when “basketball is the furthest thing from his mind.” The former Top 100 recruit told Slam Magazine he’s returning to the U.S. and landing in Geneva, Ohio. He’s going to try and regain the public spotlight that dried up when he tried to play for BC Vytautas with his NBA-reject brother, LiAngelo Ball.

LaMelo Ball back playing in high school

LiAngelo has also told NBA G-league teams that he plans to enter into the pool of players that they can sign. He committed to UCLA but left the team after one preseason game when he was caught stealing in China. He then entered the NBA Draft and was skipped over 60 times. He did all this while creating a new stat, “The LiAngelo” when a player records zero points, zero rebounds, zero assists, and one steal.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The Spire Institute markets itself as a school meant for athletes who want to take their game to the next level. They focus on swimming, track and field and basketball. They’ve also got some really interesting athletes playing alongside Ball, including 15-year-old 7-foot-7 Robert Bobroczkyi and Michigan commit Rocket Watts. LaMelo has to succeed here if he ever wants to make it to the NBA. By going overseas and signing an agent, he forfeited his NCAA eligibility.

Associate academy director Justin Brantley told ESPN that Ball was never compensated or paid for playing in Lithuania or his father’s JBA, making him eligible to play this season.

The new-look Los Angeles Lakers are off to a blazing start: the Lebron James era has seen nothing short of sparks in the preseason of the 2018 season.

Lebron, Lonzo pair up In Exciting Preseason Game

In his first game back with the team, point guard Lonzo Ball made his presence known when the lights were bright, stepping out of the shadows and thrusting into the Los Angeles sky off of a patented James cross-court pass. Ball and James, clearly on the same page and without a doubt feeling some chemistry, traded a pair of passes that ended with an alley-oop flush to Ball.

After skidding past Golden State Warriors defender Quinn Cook, Ball catapulted the momentum in the direction of the Lakers. But the action didn’t stop there for Los Angeles. In what might have been the last exhibition appearance for James, he made exit with an emphasis in Las Vegas. He finished with 15 points, ten rebounds and five assists, with three of those 15 coming at the end of the half. In a buzzer-beater to give the Lakers a four-point lead, James pulled up from almost the half-court line, flexing his shooting arm as the shot sank.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The veteran James had galvanizing words for the young talent. “I think we’ve all seen [Ball’s athleticism] since he was in high school, I believe.” The optimism in the City of Angels is sprouting.

The first regular season game for the Lakers is against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 18th.

Magic Johnson believes that Lonzo Ball is on track to have a ‘breakout season’ despite knee injury.

Magic Johnson Praises lonzo ball’s shooting form

Johnson, president of Los Angeles Lakers basketball operations, was asked about the status of second-year point guard Ball during a news conference at the teams’ practice facility in El Segundo and responded positively about Ball’s offseason recovery and growth as a player.

“His shot looked great.” Johnson said. “He’s going to be ready to have a breakout season and build on what he did last season.”

“The good thing about Lonzo is that he started early. He was in the weight room and we asked him to get stronger and he put in the time. And the one thing we were really blown away by was that he asked us to watch film and we had three or four sessions and he’s starting to understand that he has to be better, which he understood right after the season.” Johnson said.

Ball, 20, was the Lakers’ No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds as a rookie.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

During the opening 23 games, Ball shot 31.3 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point territory. Starting in December and stretching across March, Ball shot 43.6 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from beyond the arc while battling injuries.

Ball closed the year shooting 30.5 percent from the field and 18 percent from range in his final nine games of the season before having his rookie campaign cut short due to injury.

“There was only a couple of things he had to do better.” Johnson said. “And that was drive it to the basket and finish. And get his mid-range shot on balance, it’s not his shot, he just has to be on balance.”

Entering his second season, Ball is making his way back from relatively minor arthroscopic left knee surgery on his torn meniscus. Lakers medical staff declared the procedure a success back in July and cleared him for training camp.

Despite his recovery, Lakers head coach Luke Walton said that Ball wouldn’t participate in full-contact practice when the Lakers open training camp next week.

“He will be in camp participating. He won’t be doing full 5-on-5 contact at camp, at the start of camp,” Walton said. “So we’re starting to ease him into it again, play some one-on-one, things like that, half-court stuff. But with a player of his ability, and how much he’s gonna be a part of our future, the conversation is … take as much time as you need to make sure he’s healthy. We won’t rush him back at all.”

Ball’s future with the Lakers is a little up in the air, especially after the team secured LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, and JaVale McGee this offseason.

Kobe Bryant is a big fan of Jayson Tatum and isn’t afraid to show it.

Kobe Bryant Is Impressed By Jayson Tatum

The 39-year-old former Los Angeles Lakers star reportedly questioned this week why the team didn’t select Tatum in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft instead of former UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball. 

On The Sidelines with Evan Daniels podcast, NBA trainer Drew Hanlen reportedly showed Bryant a video of Tatum — a former Duke small forward — imitating some of Bryant’s moves. The “Black Mamba” said he was amazed by Tatum, whom the Boston Celtics ultimately took with the third overall pick last year. Ball went to the Lakers as the second overall pick.

The Celtics and their manager Danny Ainge reportedly wanted to draft Tatum as the No. 1 overall pick initially.

SLIDESHOW: 30 Best Sports Instagrams! 

Hanlen has also been working with Celtics star Gordon Hayward, according to Boston.com. Hayward, who joined the Celtics last season after seven seasons with the Utah Jazz, got injured in Boston’s season opener and was sidelined for the entire 2017-18 campaign.

In other Bryant-related news, Shaquille O’Neal made news on Tuesday when he claimed to have heard his former Lakers teammate — who played with him from 1996-2004 — is planning a comeback.

“Kobe coming back, I heard,” O’Neal told TMZ. “Kobe coming back, I heard he was. You heard it here first.”

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

O’Neal was reportedly asked if he was interested in returning to play with LeBron James now that The King is a member of the Lakers. O’Neal said he had no interest in this.

Bryant retired from the NBA in 2016 after twenty seasons with the Lakers, with whom he won five championships. The two-time NBA Finals MVP and 18-time All-Star also won an Oscar earlier this year for his animated short film Dear Basketball. 

The NBA’s summer league grants teams a chance to try out different rosters in order to figure out how they can improve their squads in the coming season. Whether they be freshly drafted rookies or incoming veterans, players in the summer league do their best to show teams that they can succeed on an NBA roster. Unfortunately for LiAngelo Ball, his hopes of joining the Lakers’ summer league team are not going to come to fruition just yet, as they officially informed Ball on Thursday night that he will not be invited.

The younger brother of Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball has worked out for the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors, but has yet to be drafted or brought on by any NBA team. LiAngelo has not been particularly impressive to NBA scouts, and the fact that he hasn’t been invited to a summer league doesn’t bode well for his NBA hopes.

However, the Lakers indicated that their decision not to invite Ball to the summer league extends past basketball itself. The Lakers told Ball that he would be put on a “a merit-based system” to go along with putting in impressive workouts, and the organization clearly isn’t satisfied with Ball’s effort on either end.

Ball and his two brothers became fixtures of the sports world in 2017 thanks to their father, LaVar Ball, being tremendously obnoxious and egotistical while working his kids up to be the greatest basketball players ever. While his Lonzo himself has been relatively low-key and had a decent rookie season with the Lakers, LaVar pulled LiAngelo out of UCLA after LiAngelo was charged with shoplifting while in China. Whether or not the Lakers have decided not to bring Ball into their summer league primarily due to off the court issues or his performance in workouts, one source claimed that “Obviously, there’s more to it than basketball.”

Ball can still be invited to join another organization’s summer league team, but it seems most likely that he’ll spend the near future continuing to play in Lithuania.