Lakers Free Agency News: Lonzo Ball excited to play with his ‘favorite player,’ LeBron James

Lonzo Ball almost never says anything that shows too much of himself in his quotes. Few athletes do, to be fair, but Ball especially lives up to that cliché. So, him opening up the way he did about playing alongside LeBron James says a ton about how truly excited he is.

Here’s what he had to say, via NBCLA.

“The only word that comes to mind is crazy. My whole life I’ve been watching him, saying he’s my favorite player and then just to have the opportunity to be able to play with him, it’s really crazy.”

How did Lonzo find out about the move? Well, turns out he was just as surprised as all the fans out there, which was reflected by his Twitter account in the aftermath of the signing.

“I found out like everybody else. It’s a very exciting moment not only for myself, but for the whole city of L.A. I’m very happy to have him.”

It makes sense that James would be Ball’s favorite player, really. Fans all want every young Lakers’ favorite player to be Kobe Bryant, but Ball thinks about the game completely differently. Given how he shoots, it’s probably a good thing he idolizes James over Bryant.

Ball and James make a ton of sense on the court. Two uber-talented guys with crazy basketball IQs who want to make everyone around them better are going to work in just about any situation, but for full details, you should probably check out our own Pete Zayas’ breakdown of how it would work. If Lonzo’s shot comes around, he’s an absolutely perfect fit alongside James.

Sure, Lonzo could be involved in a trade for a veteran point guard LeBron is more comfortable with, but for now, things are off to about as great a start as anyone could hope for.