Lonzo Ball has not played since Jan. 19 against the Houston Rockets, but that has not stopped him from preparing for his third season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
As Ball will have a healthy offseason for the first time in his young career, he has made headlines with some major decisions off-the-court.
Along with cutting ties and then suing former Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster, Ball mutually parted ways with agent Harrison Gaines recently.
While Ball and his family have reportedly considered ‘folding’ Big Baller Brand, the 21-year-old will be presented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) now, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN:
“After thinking about this decision over the last few weeks, I concluded that CAA made the most sense for my career both on and off the court,” Ball told ESPN in a statement Monday. “With CAA now in place to manage my basketball career, I can focus my attention and energy on training for the upcoming season.”
Although it took two seasons, Ball recognized his surroundings and is taking control of his career moving forward. While it must have been difficult for the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, he has earned high praise from LeBron James for taking the necessary steps.
As Ball starts a new chapter in his career, the reality is his on-court performance will dictate the off-the-court opportunities. While Ball has shown potential especially as a playmaker and defender, he needs to stay relatively healthy after only playing 99 out of a possible 164 games through two seasons.