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Lonzo Ball Has Jokes About Cleveland For Cavaliers Teammates

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kade Kimble | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 12:07 PM ET

Lonzo Ball is sporting a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey for the first time after being traded to the club from the Chicago Bulls this offseason, with media days underway across the NBA.

Most of Ball's career has been headlined by injuries that have held back his true potential. The former No. 2 overall pick has transformed his play during his career, too, but his body has prevented him from making a stronger impact on the hardwood.

Being traded to the Cavaliers, Ball has a chance to produce on a championship-caliber squad. Despite how his career started, he's now a strong 3-point shooter, quality defender and high-IQ player.

Ball joking about Cleveland with teammtes upon arrival as a Cavalier

However, Ball has jokes for his new teammates in Cleveland, making a joke about the city.

Since joining the Cavaliers, Ball has been joking that he "didn’t know Cleveland had water," according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

Lonzo Ball said he’s been joking with teammates here in Cleveland since arriving this summer that “I didn’t know Cleveland had water.”

He said he’s had no setbacks or issues with his ramp up physically this offseason and expects to be fully ready to go for training camp.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) September 29, 2025

One Bulls legend, Joakim Noah, had a strong opinion on Cleveland many years ago, going viral for calling the city out. It seems Ball understands the stigma about the midwestern city, using it to poke fun at teammates.

More notable than Ball's joke about his new city is that he hasn't suffered any injury setbacks. When healthy, the 6-foot-6 guard can make a real winning impact. When he first joined the Bulls, he had the squad looking like a threat in the Eastern Conference.

The UCLA product is coming off a very encouraging stretch for the Bulls last season, as he appeared in 35 games, averaging 22.2 minutes per outing. Ball will be fully ready to go for training camp, which is essential as he joins a new team and will need to build chemistry with his teammates on the court, though it seems he's working on building it off the court already.

Last season, Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He will have an expanded role with the Cavaliers early, as star guard Darius Garland remains out with a toe injury. The former Laker will become quite familiar with the city quickly, too.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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