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From Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to Bryant and Dwight Howard, the Los Angeles Lakers have a long, illustrious history of having two superstars who hate each other’s guts (some of those pairings have more success than others).
But it doesn’t always have to be that way! While we don’t know yet whether on not Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram will be superstars, for right now they’re undoubtedly the centerpieces of the Lakers’ franchise, and so far they seem to be on track to get along swimmingly.
The night Ball was selected by the Lakers with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, he didn’t hesitate to name Ingram as the player he was most excited to play with, saying he was going to be “a superstar.”
During an appearance on “Mason and Ireland” on ESPN Radio Monday, Ingram made it clear the feeling was very much mutual (h/t Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation):
"I like his game. I like the way he attacks his game. It's gonna be fun."
— ESPNLosAngeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) June 26, 2017
-Brandon Ingram on Lonzo Ball's addition to the @Lakers. pic.twitter.com/9TYcDTmLm4
Ingram and Ball appear to be the Lakers’ only two untouchable players right now, and theoretically should make for a good fit once their games fully mature. Ingram as a two-way beast on the wing whose length can wreak havoc in passing lanes and in transition sounds like a perfect partner for the run-at-all-times, go-go game of Ball.
Both will still have to develop as most project, but it’s promising for the Lakers that the main two players in their core seem to gelling so well so far.
Ball and Ingram are expected to be in uniform when the Lakers tip-off Las Vegas Summer League Friday, July 7 against the LA Clippers.
Harrison Faigen is co-host of the Locked on Lakers podcast (subscribe here or get pumped about Ball’s game with our latest episode below), and you can follow him on Twitter at @hmfaigen.