There’s this kid that just got drafted, Lonzo Ball, you might have heard of him. Dude’s caused quit a stir. Well not him personally. His dad, absolutely. His shoes, definitely. His little brother, yep. But Lonzo himself really doesn’t do anything to draw attention to himself. Nothing stands out about him. He’s as bland as a box of communion wafers. So besides his dad, his shoes and lil bro, the only thing he’d have to stand on is his game. But who only orders an entree when you can get an appetizer, drinks and dessert to go with it?
A majority of the conversation surrounding him has little to do with basketball. They had a pre-game show every summer league game to talk about what kind of shoes he was wearing lol. Pure craziness. His dad and little brother were parading around a WWE ring some weeks back. But guess what, this is a good thing. So much being made of what is happening around Lonzo makes him a hot topic off the court. Meanwhile on the court, it’s business as usual. I get it. It’s only summer league but at the same time, you can’t deny his poise, instincts and playmaking ability.
Some would think the circus surrounding him would in some way put undue pressure on him when in fact, it has done quite the opposite. He has been made a star before he has played a single NBA game. The build up was necessary. If it was left up to him, we’d only have his on-court production to go by. That means he’d have to make up for all these antics, all this free publicity and all the buzz that make him such a big topic of discussion with fantastic play on the court. What y’all think all this publicity and hoopla is worth? Maybe 20 pts and 15 assists a game? Lavar done talked his boy outta that whether you like it or not lol. Now all Lonzo has to do is play (and not even spectacularly) to be deemed a success.
It’s no use fighting it. Lonzo is a household name. He’s already won. He plays for arguably the most famous franchise in all of sports. Jimmy Hart couldn’t have done a better job promoting him. Make no mistake about it, Lonzo can play. But what’s more important, the chef or the steak?