Former Laker Lonzo Ball Shares Honest Take on LeBron James

"I still think it's Bron, personally," Ball said. "If you turn your TV on, you're gonna see something about Bron or the Lakers every single day... When you think about the NBA, like who the first name come into your mind type s---."

James remains an impactful scorer and a narrative-driving star, even if his athleticism has declined, his defense has dropped, and his endurance has notably sagged.

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In 70 healthy games for the 50-32 Lakers, the 6-foot-9 superstar averaged 24.4 points on .513/.376/.782 shooting splits, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds a night. While he was clearly the No. 2 star on the Lakers this past regular season — first to 10-time All-Star center Anthony Davis, eight years James' junior, and now to five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic, who's 14 years younger than James — he was still a forceful offensive presence.

Ball, meanwhile, has struggled since leaving Los Angeles. The 6-foot-6 Chino Hills native, whom then-L.A. president Magic Johnson selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft ahead of Jayson Tatum, was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the Lakers' blockbuster trade for Davis. He signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Chicago Bulls in the summer of 2021, and for 35 games looked like an above-averaged 3-and-D lead guard... before he suffered a major meniscus tear that required three surgeries and caused him to miss two-and-a-half seasons.

The UCLA product was only healthy for 35 games this past season with Chicago, too, and though he looked okay on defense still his offense took a dip.

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