AFTER BEING DRAFTED
His ceremonial throw before Dodgers’ game is a little wilder than his basketball passes.
Thursday night and introduced Friday morning, Lonzo Ball threw out the first pitch before the Dodgers’ game Friday night.
As Lonzo Ball walked out to the mound to toss the first pitch Friday night at Dodger Stadium, there was a little bit of pressure.
In his first public appearance since getting drafted by the Lakers, Ball probably wanted to avoid the embarrassment of throwing a wild pitch, a feeling celebrities like 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg know all too well.
Thankfully for Ball’s sake, the ceremonial pitch reached the plate with little drama, although it was a little high and outside. Reliever Kenley Jansen, who was wearing a No. 32 Lakers jersey, made the catch. Regardless, the throw was met with cheers from the fans.
Ball’s appearance before the Dodgers’ matchup against the Colorado Rockies culminated a whirlwind day and a half that began with his selection in Thursday’s NBA draft in New York.
Ball then flew back to Los Angeles on Friday morning, where he arrived in time for his much-anticipated introductory news conference at the Toyota Center in El Segundo.
Immediately after the news conference, during which Magic Johnson jokingly begged Ball to let him keep at least one of his franchise records, Ball was shuttled to Dodger Stadium along with his agent, Harrison Gaines, his youngest brother, LaMelo, and a few other friends.
Prior to the pitch, Ball played catch with a ball girl and snapped photos with a few wide-eyed fans. Wearing a custom No. 2 Dodgers jersey, Ball appeared comfortable with the attention, telling the crowd over the stadium PA system that it’s something he’s learned to deal with over the course of his high school and college career at Chino Hills High and UCLA.
Before getting whisked away for a closed media session, Ball had one final message for the fans: “It’s time for Dodgers baseball!”