The Cautionary Tale of Lonzo Ball

A father’s ambition, a son’s dreams, and the price of trusting the wrong people in the NBA business landscape

When the Los Angeles Laker selected Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft ahead of players like Jayson Tatum and De’Aaron Fox the thought was that the Lakers had their point guard of the future. Ball was a highly touted recruit out of Chino Hills, California and had an excellent freshman season at UCLA where he was selected as an All-American before declaring for the Draft.

Fast forward to today, and Ball is on his third team with fears that his injury history might force him into retirement at the age of 25. After missing over a season and a half after signing a free agency deal with the Chicago Bulls, it is hard not to feel sorry for Lonzo. A cautionary tale of a young man trying to help his family out with poor investments and a failed sneaker company in the Big Baller Brand. His story is one that reminds us of the fragile gift that is an NBA contract and the difficulties of starting a business in an established market.

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