Lonzo Has Already Learned a Valuable Life Lesson

By Kevin Ding - Senior Writer

Lonzo Ball now knows this much. Something must come before everything he wants to be: the team guy, the people pleaser, the winner.

As dear as he holds all those qualities, as much as he aspires for his career to be remembered as an inspiration because of them, Ball's rookie season turned around only after he was advised to prioritize something above all that.

It was early December. The Lakers were on a five-game losing streak. The capper was a humbling by Houston at Staples Center that included a cold-shooting Ball fail to make a field goal and barely move the needle in any other area.

Lonzo runs the offense in the Lakers' December 3rd home game against the Rockets

For Ball, usually a stoic figure in public appearances and a consistently positive influence in private ones, the downturn in mood was obvious to a person who truly knew.

"In this world you want to be positive and you want to be enlightening," Darren Moore said, "but sometimes you’ve got to be real with people you love."

Moore is Ball's manager, his nearly lifelong friend, and his housemate the past three years.

So Moore knew it was time to point something out, something that Ball soon realized he really needed to hear.

"You've got to have fun, bro."

"I was like, 'You're right,' "Ball recalled. "I'm out here trying to do the best I can, but I'm not really having as much fun as I usually have on the court."

Ball is accustomed to massive attention and largely comes across unflappable in the face of it. Moore saw something different—and Moore tried to re-enact it by gritting his teeth and straining his muscles to embody all the stress he saw in Ball.

He was trying too hard to do all the right things. He was pressing to hit shots not just for himself, but to shut up the critics and lift up everyone in the Lakers organization—while also wanting to bring peace on earth to everyone who has ever supported him.

"Who cares what people are saying? Who cares?" Moore told him. "You come in here, you dress nice, and you put on a show. Man, just go out there and have a blast. You don't get too many opportunities to say you were a Laker at 19 years old, 20 years old. Enjoy the moment."