Lonzo Ball is a professional American basketball player who plays the role of a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball League. Established by the Lakers as the 2nd All-Rookie team during the 2017 NBA draft; Lonzo was appointed to the second NBA All-Rookie team in 2018. He completed his college career with the UCLA Bruins of the University of California, Los Angeles. While there, he won the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award and the Wayman Tisdale Award in his senior year. Read on to learn more about Lonzo and his family.
Lonzo Ball Bio
Lonzo Anderson Ball was born on October 27, 1997, in Anaheim, California; Lonzo came from a black American family and is one of three children of LaVar Ball and his wife Tina Ball. He has American citizenship and belongs to the African-American ethnic group. While growing up, Lonzo began playing basketball at the age of two under his father’s guidance. He then attended Chino Hills High School in California.
During his high school years, Lonzo played as a shooting guard for the Chino High basketball team. In his junior and senior seasons, he averaged 9.1 assists, 11 rebounds, and 25 points per game; Lonzo averaged 11.7 assists, 11.3 rebounds, and 23.9 points per game. At the end of his high school career, Lonzo was honored by USA Today with the Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year Award, the Naismith Player of the Year Award, and the Boys Basketball Player of the Year Award. He was also named Mr. Basketball USA and McDonald’s All-American Team.
Prior to his college career, Lonzo committed to a college career at the University of California, Los Angeles. In November 2015, he sent his national letter of intent to UCLA, and after graduating from Chino Hills, he enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played basketball for the UCLA Bruins College Basketball Team.
As a rookie, Lonzo Ball had his breakout season; he averaged 7.6 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 14.6 points per game in the 2016/17 season. He led the Bruins to the Sweet 16 tournament while leading the NCAA in assists. He ended the season with a handful of awards, including the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, the Oscar Robertson Trophy, and the Naismith College Player of the Year award. Lonzo was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and the Consensus All-American First Team by Sporting News, Associated Press, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and the United States Basketball Writers Association. After his first year of college, Lonzo had to forgo the rest of his college career when he signed up for the 2017 NBA draft.
ALSO READ: Who Is Stephen Miller, The Wife, Wiki, Bio, Is He Jewish? Here Are Facts
Lonzo Ball NBA Career and Stats
During the 2017 NBA draft, the amazing basketball star was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the draft. He was the third player selected after D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram. After signing his four-year contract as a rookie with the Lakers, Lonzo made his first appearance for them in the 2017 NBA Summer League. He became the most valuable player in the league after averaging 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds, and 16.3 points per game.
In the regular 2017/18 season, Lonzo played a total of 52 games for the Lakers, finishing with an average of 7.2 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 10.2 points per game. Due to his outstanding performance, he was appointed to the second NBA All-Rookie team.
In July 2018 Lonzo underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus. He is expected to return before the start of the 2018/19 training camp.
Lonzo Ball’s Family: Dad, Mom, and Brother
The fast-rising basketball prodigy came from a family of athletes; his father LaVar Ball is an American businessman and media personality. During his college years, he played both basketball and football. As a football tight end, LaVar played professionally for the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football as well as the Carolina Panthers and the New York Jets of the NFL. He is the founder of the Junior Basketball Association and CEO of the Big Baller brand.
ALSO READ: Marshon Brooks Height, Weight, Body Measurements, Biography
Lonzo’s mother, Tina Ball, is also a former college basketball player for the UCLA Golden Eagles women’s basketball team. She currently works as a sports director at Vernon Middle School in Sinclair, California. During her time at UCLA, she met Lonzo’s father LaVar Ball and after several years of a successful relationship, they met at a small wedding in 1996. Together they have three children – Lonzo, LaMelo, and LiAngelo Ball.
Just like Lonzo, his brothers are professional basketball players. LiAngelo plays the role of Shooting Guard for the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association, while LaMelo also acts as Point Guard/Shooting Guard for the same team.
Girlfriend
Ball has a relationship with his high school sweetheart named Denise Garcia. Denise Garcia played in Division I for the University of Seattle soccer team and the University of California soccer team. After three years of a successful relationship, Denise and Lonzo welcomed their first bundle of joy, a daughter named Zoey Christina Ball. She was born on July 22, 2018. Meanwhile, Lonzo and Garcia have not yet stepped down the aisle, but perhaps they plan to do so soon.
His Height and Weight
Lonzo Ball is an excellent passer, good rebound, and a solid defender. The ball has great ball skills and an exceptional size for a shooter. Since he comes from a line of NBA stars, you would believe it when we say the game is about his family. To top it all off, it has an incredible size of 6 feet 6 inches and a bodyweight of 86 kg. His hair is black while he has brown eyes.