Lakers not likely to pass on Ball with No. 2 pick

LOS ANGELES — UCLA guard Lonzo Ball is a singular talent with a unique parent.

In perhaps the greatest testament to his abilities, his father LaVar Ball’s bombast, $495 shoes and racially insensitive comments don’t appear to be scaring off the Los Angeles Lakers or any other team that believes Lonzo could be the next great point guard.

Ball, blessed with extraordinary court vision, is among the most intriguing prospects in the NBA draft this week.

Because of his headline-magnet father, Ball’s celebrity has already outpaced his talents before he plays his first professional game. Yet ever since his days leading the Big Ballers AAU team set up by his dad, Lonzo has shown nothing but maturity and calm in the face of LaVar’s audacious approaches to hoops, parenting and the business of sports.

“I think it definitely doesn’t help,” Ball said of his father’s notoriety. “Definitely makes it a little bit harder. But any good player is going to have attention on him at all times, and I’m pretty used to it by now.”

Ball’s mental steadiness is another big reason he’s almost certain to be a topthree pick on Thursday. Ever since the Lakers got the No. 2 choice in the lottery last month, most draft observers have believed Ball will wear a gold jersey in the fall, completing a serendipitous match of player and team.

That’s been the dream scenario for the Ball family since Lonzo showed the first inklings of world-class talent. He was raised in Chino Hills, a suburb about 35 miles east of Staples Center, and LaVar Ball is an ardent fan of the Lakers — and specifically Magic Johnson, the Hall of Fame point guard now running their basketball operations.

Ball didn’t mince words after working out for the Lakers last week about his hopes to make it permanent.

“Of course. I want to stay home,” he said.

Los Angeles and its sprawling

suburbs have produced a sizable portion of the NBA’s top talent of recent years. All three MVP finalists this

season — Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard — are from the area, as are Paul George, Klay Thompson, Tyson Chandler, DeMar DeRozan and many others.

The Lakers have been his family’s team since before he could walk, but he didn’t see many games in person.

“My dad didn’t like the seats, because I guess they were too small for him,” said Lonzo, who like his father, has grown to 6-6.

Lonzo settled for watching on television and then emulated the stars from Magic to Kobe Bryant while playing with his brothers at home.

Ball said he patterned his game after Johnson.

“My dad asked me what position I wanted to play. I told him, ‘Point guard.’ He was like, ‘All right, if you’re going to play point guard, you’ve got to give the ball up.’ ”

That’s what Ball does better than almost any college guard has in recent years.

He led the nation in assists ( 7.7 per game) while turning the Bruins into the highest-scoring team in Division I basketball. Ball utilized angles and defensive creases that made him look more like an attacking soccer midfielder than a basketball player.

And if any NBA team is worried about having the ultimate sports parent in the front row, UCLA Coach Steve Alford has repeatedly said LaVar wasn’t a problem for him — and Lonzo’s two little brothers are both planning to play in Westwood.

Ball said his father gives him unwanted notoriety, but he also promises he can handle any distraction.

“That was said about me in college, said about me in high school,” he said. “I don’t think it affected me.”

Ball still appears to be a splendid fit with the Lakers, whose up-tempo offense under Coach Luke Walton looks tailor-made for Ball’s skills.

The Lakers are coming off the franchise’s worst fouryear stretch, but their fans hope that another playmaking superstar will be their reward for the 16-time NBA champions’ misery.

Ball is one of those fans. “They need a leader,” Ball said after his recent workout with the Lakers. “They need a point guard, and I feel like I can fill that hole. … They said they want me to come in — if I get picked — come in and be a leader and play with a lot of pace. So the stuff they were saying was very positive, and it kind of fits my game.”