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Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson said in a radio appearance Wednesday that General Manager Rob Pelinka was setting up a pre-draft workout for presumptive second overall pick Lonzo Ball of UCLA.
It’s an opportunity that won’t be extended to the Boston Celtics, with Danny Ainge going on the radio to say “Lonzo Ball has informed the Celtics he will not work out for them prior to draft,” according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.
It’s the latest example of Ball and his family trying to show their Lakers blood leverage their way to their hometown Lakers, who have the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft (Boston has the first overall choice).
If the Lakers end up drafting Ball (which seems increasingly likely every time Johnson goes on the radio to compare Ball to himself), he wouldn’t be the first Lakers lottery pick in recent years to skip their workout with the Celtics.
Lakers forward Julius Randle did the same in 2014, when the Lakers were picking seventh and Boston had the sixth pick, skipping his Celtics workout for a GQ photoshoot in one of the most savage burns in pre-draft history:
Meeting with @GQMagazine today to discuss style, tune in for possible fashion tips #NBADraft2014 #DraftWeek #JR30 #GQ
— Julius Randle (@J30_RANDLE) June 24, 2014
Randle skipped a potential 2nd workout w/ Celtics today for this -> MT @J30_RANDLE: Meeting with @GQMagazine today to discuss style
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) June 24, 2014
There were reports before the lottery that some agents wouldn’t want their clients to go to the Celtics in the draft, and it appears Ball is the first one to confirm that rumor.
However, if the Ball family wants to live up to their reputation, they need to try and top Randle and come up with a more “L.A.” reason to skip their workout, such as:
- Scheduling a workout with the Celtics and then skipping it to film a movie.
- Saying he has a Los Angeles-based allergy to his skin touching the color green.
- Going on Jimmy Kimmel to wink at Paul George.
- Working out with Kobe before even joining the Lakers.
- Blaming traffic to LAX for not being able to make his flight to Boston.
Whatever Ball does, if he truly wants to show how badly he wants to be a Laker, he needs to pick one of these options, or something you guys suggest in the comments below. Let’s have some fun.
Harrison Faigen is co-host of the Locked on Lakers podcast (subscribe here, or listen to our latest episode discussing Ball and much more with Chris McGee of Spectrum Sportsnet below), and you can follow him on Twitter at @hmfaigen.