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(B)all in the family: Lakers introduce second-overall pick Lonzo Ball

Published Jun. 23, 2017 8:04 p.m. ET

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Elijah Zabludoff

EL SEGUNDO – Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka felt that something was different about Lonzo Ball.

The Los Angeles Lakers second overall pick in 2017 NBA Draft, a Chino Hills HS and UCLA alum, is all about two things: family and basketball.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/878043993212366849

When Johnson and Pelinka went to Chino Hills to visit Lonzo and his family, the two executives knew that Lonzo was the perfect piece to the Lakers puzzle. In spending breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all cooked by LaVar, with training mixed in, the Ball family showed what they were about.

“It was an issue of character for us,” Johnson said at the introductory press conference, “The Ball family is committed to everyone in their lives. Their commitment to training and excellence is apparent.”

The vetting of Lonzo Ball, though, did not stop there. Teachers, professors, and coaches at Chino Hills and UCLA sat down with Johnson and Pelinka, and what stuck in their minds was the way Lonzo treated other people.

https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/878389702604111872

“The way he treats people is special,” Johnson said, “He knows everybody’s name and makes the people around him want to be better.”

Some call the Chino Hills native a hometown hero, and he knows what it is like to carry an entire city on his back.

“I’m used to it,” Ball told the media, “I’ve been asked to do it my whole life. It’s very humbling,” he continued,  “not a lot of people come from [Chino Hills], and I’m proud to be from there and happy to put on for them.”

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/878369153094008832

It’s simple for the new face of the franchise: “I’m happy to be home, and I’m ready to get to work.”

 

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