Lonzo Ball and LeBron James’ time in Los Angeles together may have been short, but it certainly left a lasting impact on the former’s career and life. Ball was traded to New Orleans for Anthony Davis after one season together with James on the Lakers, but that didn’t lead to any burnt bridges.
Last year, Ball left Roc Nation after only a few short months to join Klutch Sports, the agency started by James and close friend Rich Paul. It was a step away from his family for Ball, who felt like he had been unable to make decisions on his own previously.
Ball and James had remained close in the time after the trade, sharing a hug in Summer League less than a month after the trade. On Friday, Ball was a part of a “Who’s Interviewing Who” video released by Uninterrupted along with Robert Horry and teammate Jaxson Hayes in which he revealed advice given to him by James.
“I think the best advice I got is from LeBron, so far. He sat me down one time in the locker room – obviously he’s been through everything – and he kind of knew all the crazy stuff that I was going through when I first got to the league and told me just ‘Keep the main thing the main thing.’ That’s probably stuck with me the most out of anything anybody’s ever told me just because he’s right. Once you take care of what you’ve got to take care of on the court, everything else falls into place.
Especially in today’s world, I think with all the kids coming in with all the social media and everybody’s saying this and that and everything’s that’s going on, sometimes it gets away from basketball. As long you keep, I think, hoop first and keep your family first, that’s really all that matters. I think that’s the most important thing that I would like to pass down to younger kids coming up because it’s only going to get crazier with all the social media and stuff.”
Considering the time spent in Los Angeles with James overlapped with Ball finding out about the money laundering allegations with Alan Foster and Big Baller Brand, the advice was particularly timely and valuable.
Since that advice, Ball has taken more ownership of his life, joining Klutch Sports and focusing on his career leading to back-to-back breakout seasons. For the younger generation like Ball, James has served as much as an off-court mentor as an on-court one.