LOS ANGELES—He wasn’t the first pick in the draft, and if the team he plays for sniffs a playoff race it’ll be a major accomplishment because everyone is waiting to see which gigantic free agents the franchise will pursue in nine months.
This is not Magic Johnson and Showtime. It’s not Kobe and Shaq and the mental shenanigans of Phil Jackson. It’s certainly not Jerry West and Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain.
This is 20-year-old Lonzo Ball, but there is no hype quite like Hollywood hype, and the combination of a hometown star with a dad who craves and seeks attention has all of a sudden got chins wagging about the Los Angeles Lakers.