Saturday, June 24, 2017
Lakers take ex-UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball with No. 2 pick in draft
june 22, 2017 | tanya ganguli | THE L.A. TIMES | ARTICLE LINK
After Lonzo Ball’s dream came true, he finally admitted that he’d felt this coming.
“Ever since my season at UCLA, I kind of felt confident,” the former Bruins point guard said in a quiet moment between the constant stream of interviews and photo ops that come with being the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft. “… I just trusted my game. I knew I was going to be a top pick. When I saw they had second it put a smile on my face.
“I’m glad everything worked out.”
After all the predictions, critiques and smokescreens, the Lakers made the obvious choice. They drafted the kid from Chino Hills, the best passer in the draft and a player that Magic Johnson once said reminded him of himself.
Ball, 19, is the first UCLA player to be drafted that high since 1979, when David Greenwood went second to the Chicago Bulls after the Lakers took Johnson with the No. 1 pick. He is the first UCLA player to be taken in the top four since Russell Westbrook in 2008.
“When he’s on the floor, all four guys out there with him become better instantly,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “That’s a quality trait that not many people have. The great ones all have it. I hope by the way he plays, everyone else on our team becomes better.’’
Ball was one of three UCLA freshmen drafted. TJ Leaf went 18th to the Indiana Pacers and Ike Anigbogu, projected to go late in the first round, fell to the 47th pick, also to the Pacers.
In addition to Ball, the Lakers selected Utah forward Kyle Kuzma with the 27th pick, which they acquired from the Brooklyn Nets this week in a trade that sent D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets.
That trade paved the way for Ball to join the team without complication. Russell, a point guard who was the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft, was a starter in 60 games for the Lakers last season.
The Lakers then traded the 28th pick, a pick they’d received from the Houston Rockets in a trade for Lou Williams, to the Utah Jazz. In return, the Lakers got the 30th and 42nd picks and took Villanova guard Josh Hart and Indiana center Thomas Bryant, both of whom worked out for the Lakers during the pre-draft process.
The night, though, belonged to their top pick.
After the Philadelphia 76ers made Washington point guard Markelle Fultz the No. 1 pick in the draft, the Lakers were on the clock. As their allotted five minutes wound down, Ball removed the dress shoes he’d worn into the building and changed into a pair of purple and gold sneakers made by his family’s brand.
Then he waited.
Two and a half minutes later, his agent handed him a phone. Within seconds everyone seated at his table — his brothers, his father, his trainer and a family friend — broke into grins. They took in the moment as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Lonzo’s name and the crowd inside the Barclays Center erupted.
Then the interview gauntlet began. Ball started with his podium interview, where he showed deference and reverence to Johnson, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations.
“He's one of the best to ever do it, and I can't — there's never going to be another Magic Johnson,” Ball said. “So I'm trying to be myself, but if I can come halfway short of him, you know it's going to be good.”
Next, in a crowded media room across the arena, he conducted interviews for “The Jimmy Kimmel Show,” local television stations, national radio shows, websites and video conferences shared in Australia, Argentina, the Bahamas, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Chile, France, India, Mexico, the Philippines and Puerto Rico.
Not long after, Ball was doing a television interview in a hallway at Barclays Center when Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox, taken fifth by the Sacramento Kings, pranced by and giddily called out to Ball.
“Yeah, Zo!” Fox said. “Yeah, Zo!”
Fox would later pass Ball again, playfully slapping the bill on his Lakers cap and declaring that his cap was the best because it wasn’t a cap, but a visor.
Ball sat for the NBA’s social media channels, then was presented with a watch. Then he reached the Lakers at their practice facility in El Segundo. Johnson, Walton, Jeanie Buss and Joey Buss all congratulated him. General manager Rob Pelinka told him, “We like to make dreams come true.”
Ball grew up watching the Lakers win championships with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. His outspoken father, LaVar, had insisted for months that his son would play for the Lakers. As the draft was about to begin, LaVar declared their table a place for positivity and for believing that the Lakers would take his oldest son.
The Ball family remained at their table until just before the Lakers made their later selections. Then they got up and walked out past a rowdy crowd of draft spectators, who started to boo loudly at LaVar. He grinned and pumped his fists at them. He threw his purple and gold Big Baller Brand cap into the crowd before leaving to meet Lonzo.
Soon they would be celebrating into the night.
“I’m pretty sure it’s going to be crazy,” Lonzo said.
Four Bruins Selected in 2017 NBA Draft
june 22, 2017 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL
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Chosen by the Lakers, Ball became UCLA's highest NBA Draft selection since 1979.
Four former UCLA basketball players – Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf, Ike Anigbogu and Jonah Bolden – were selected in the 2017 NBA Draft on Thursday night, hosted at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Ball and Leaf, freshmen at UCLA in 2016-17, were each selected in the first round. Ball was chosen No. 2 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, while Leaf was taken No. 18 by the Indiana Pacers. Ball became the highest selection by any UCLA player in the draft since 1979 (David Greenwood, No. 2 to the Chicago Bulls).
Bolden, who spent his first two collegiate seasons with UCLA before playing in Serbia last season, was taken No. 36 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.
Anigbogu, a freshman who excelled off the bench in 2016-17, rounded out the group of four Bruins on Thursday as the No. 47 overall selection by the Indiana Pacers in the second round.
UCLA has now produced 118 all-time NBA Draft picks, including nine selections in four seasons under head coach Steve Alford, who will enter his fifth year as UCLA's head coach in 2017-18. The Bruins have had at least one player chosen in 18 of the last 21 NBA Drafts (spanning 1997 through 2017).
This season's draft marked the first time since 1982 in which UCLA had at least four former players selected in the NBA Draft. For the second time in the last four drafts, the Bruins produced at least two first-round selections (UCLA had three first-round draft selections in 2014).
Ball, a 6-foot-6 guard from Chino Hills, Calif., became UCLA's first player selected in the draft by the Lakers since 2006, when Jordan Farmar was taken as the organization's No. 26 overall pick in the first round.
A consensus first-team All-America selection during his freshman season, Ball averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and a nation-leading 7.6 assists per game in 2016-17. He scored in double figures in 31 of 36 games, establishing UCLA's single-season assists record (274) and finishing the year ranking second on the Pac-12's single-season assists list.
One of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, Ball secured first-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors. He was named the nation's Freshman of the Year by nearly every national publication.
Ball has become the sixth player from UCLA taken as a top-two selection in the NBA Draft. UCLA's previous No. 2 selections have included David Greenwood (1979, Chicago), David Meyers (1975, L.A. Lakers) and Sidney Wicks (1971, Portland). UCLA's Bill Walton (1974, Portland) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969, Milwaukee) were each drafted No. 1 overall.
A 6-foot-10 forward from El Cajon, Calif., Leaf averaged a team-leading 16.3 points per game as a freshman in 2016-17. He was one of three UCLA players, along with Ball and Bryce Alford, to secure first-team All-Pac-12 honors.
One of five finalists for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, Leaf led UCLA with 11 double-doubles, finishing the season having averaged 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.
Leaf was one of three players in the Pac-12 to rank among the league's top 10 leaders in scoring and rebounding (along with Utah's Kyle Kuzma and Stanford's Reid Travis). Leaf finished second in the Pac-12 in overall field goal percentage (61.7%) and made nearly 47 percent of his three-point attempts (46.6%, 27 of 58). In all, he scored in double figures in 32 of 35 games.
Anigbogu averaged 4.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game as a freshman in 2016-17. He played in 29 of the Bruins' 36 games and ranked second on the team in blocks per game (1.2 bpg, 35 blocks). A 6-foot-10 forward/center from Corona, Calif., Anigbogu shot 56.4 percent from the field (57 for 101).
Along with Ball and Leaf, Anigbogu entered UCLA in the summer of 2016 as part of an incoming class that was ranked No. 4 in the nation by Scout.com and No. 5 by ESPN.com. Anigbogu emerged as a strong rim protector and defensive presence after missing UCLA's first four games and totaled at least one block in 19 of 29 contests.
Bolden spent two seasons at UCLA (2014-15, 2016-17), playing in 31 games as a sophomore in 2015-16. Bolden averaged 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game that season before choosing to play professionally in Europe last season.
While at UCLA, Bolden scored in double figures in five games and recorded at least 10 rebounds in three contests. He had a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in a road win at Gonzaga on Dec. 12, 2015.
Looking ahead toward next season, UCLA's season ticket packages are now on sale, starting at less than $19 per game. To secure seats in Pauley Pavilion for the 2017-18 season, call (310) 206-5991 or visit uclabruins.com/tickets.
Ball and Leaf, freshmen at UCLA in 2016-17, were each selected in the first round. Ball was chosen No. 2 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, while Leaf was taken No. 18 by the Indiana Pacers. Ball became the highest selection by any UCLA player in the draft since 1979 (David Greenwood, No. 2 to the Chicago Bulls).
Bolden, who spent his first two collegiate seasons with UCLA before playing in Serbia last season, was taken No. 36 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.
Anigbogu, a freshman who excelled off the bench in 2016-17, rounded out the group of four Bruins on Thursday as the No. 47 overall selection by the Indiana Pacers in the second round.
UCLA has now produced 118 all-time NBA Draft picks, including nine selections in four seasons under head coach Steve Alford, who will enter his fifth year as UCLA's head coach in 2017-18. The Bruins have had at least one player chosen in 18 of the last 21 NBA Drafts (spanning 1997 through 2017).
This season's draft marked the first time since 1982 in which UCLA had at least four former players selected in the NBA Draft. For the second time in the last four drafts, the Bruins produced at least two first-round selections (UCLA had three first-round draft selections in 2014).
Ball, a 6-foot-6 guard from Chino Hills, Calif., became UCLA's first player selected in the draft by the Lakers since 2006, when Jordan Farmar was taken as the organization's No. 26 overall pick in the first round.
A consensus first-team All-America selection during his freshman season, Ball averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and a nation-leading 7.6 assists per game in 2016-17. He scored in double figures in 31 of 36 games, establishing UCLA's single-season assists record (274) and finishing the year ranking second on the Pac-12's single-season assists list.
One of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, Ball secured first-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors. He was named the nation's Freshman of the Year by nearly every national publication.
Ball has become the sixth player from UCLA taken as a top-two selection in the NBA Draft. UCLA's previous No. 2 selections have included David Greenwood (1979, Chicago), David Meyers (1975, L.A. Lakers) and Sidney Wicks (1971, Portland). UCLA's Bill Walton (1974, Portland) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969, Milwaukee) were each drafted No. 1 overall.
A 6-foot-10 forward from El Cajon, Calif., Leaf averaged a team-leading 16.3 points per game as a freshman in 2016-17. He was one of three UCLA players, along with Ball and Bryce Alford, to secure first-team All-Pac-12 honors.
One of five finalists for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, Leaf led UCLA with 11 double-doubles, finishing the season having averaged 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.
Leaf was one of three players in the Pac-12 to rank among the league's top 10 leaders in scoring and rebounding (along with Utah's Kyle Kuzma and Stanford's Reid Travis). Leaf finished second in the Pac-12 in overall field goal percentage (61.7%) and made nearly 47 percent of his three-point attempts (46.6%, 27 of 58). In all, he scored in double figures in 32 of 35 games.
Anigbogu averaged 4.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game as a freshman in 2016-17. He played in 29 of the Bruins' 36 games and ranked second on the team in blocks per game (1.2 bpg, 35 blocks). A 6-foot-10 forward/center from Corona, Calif., Anigbogu shot 56.4 percent from the field (57 for 101).
Along with Ball and Leaf, Anigbogu entered UCLA in the summer of 2016 as part of an incoming class that was ranked No. 4 in the nation by Scout.com and No. 5 by ESPN.com. Anigbogu emerged as a strong rim protector and defensive presence after missing UCLA's first four games and totaled at least one block in 19 of 29 contests.
Bolden spent two seasons at UCLA (2014-15, 2016-17), playing in 31 games as a sophomore in 2015-16. Bolden averaged 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game that season before choosing to play professionally in Europe last season.
While at UCLA, Bolden scored in double figures in five games and recorded at least 10 rebounds in three contests. He had a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in a road win at Gonzaga on Dec. 12, 2015.
Looking ahead toward next season, UCLA's season ticket packages are now on sale, starting at less than $19 per game. To secure seats in Pauley Pavilion for the 2017-18 season, call (310) 206-5991 or visit uclabruins.com/tickets.
Former UCLA Players Contribute to Warriors' Title
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| 2017 Golden State Warriors (photo by Getty Images) |
june 13, 2017 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL
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Barnes, Looney and Myers all helped Golden State in the team's 2017 championship quest. Former UCLA basketball players Matt Barnes and Kevon Looney were members of this season's Golden State Warriors team that won the 2017 NBA Finals on Monday evening.
In addition, UCLA alumnus Bob Myers has served as the Golden State Warriors' general manager since April 2012, helping the organization earn its second NBA Finals title in the last three years.
Including Barnes and Looney, former UCLA players have now helped their NBA team win the NBA Finals 31 times – this includes 26 different players representing the UCLA basketball program.
Barnes was a four-year player for the Bruins from 1998-99 through 2001-02, while Looney excelled at UCLA during the 2014-15 season before being selected in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft. Barnes averaged 8.8 points in 121 career games at UCLA. Looney registered 11.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in 36 games for UCLA in 2014-15.
Myers played for UCLA for four seasons (1993-94 through 1996-97) after graduating from Monte Vista High School in Danville, Calif., nearly 25 miles east of Oracle Arena, the Warriors' home venue. Myers started his UCLA career as a walk-on in 1993-94 and concluded his collegiate career having registered 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per game in 76 contests.
This season's NBA Finals, between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, marked the 59th time in which former UCLA basketball players competed on a team that had advanced to the NBA Finals. In addition to Barnes and Looney with Golden State, former UCLA standout Kevin Love helped lead Cleveland to the NBA Finals for the third consecutive season.
The most recent best-of-seven series marked the second straight year in which UCLA had former players competing on both NBA Finals teams.
Aside from Barnes, Looney and Love, other former UCLA players who have represented the University in the NBA Finals over the last 10 seasons have included Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City in 2012), Jordan Farmar (Los Angeles Lakers in 2008, 2009 and 2010) and Trevor Ariza (Los Angeles Lakers in 2008 and 2009).
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Monday, June 19, 2017
Lonzo Ball's letter to his Dad on Father's Day 2017
Thanks to UCLAFight! for posting this on Bruin Zone.
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