For two seasons after getting drafted by them in 2017, Lonzo Ball had an up-and-down tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. He had a slightly disappointing rookie season after being selected second overall, and the Lakers ultimately shipped him out to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the blockbuster deal for Anthony Davis.
Now a member of the Chicago Bulls, the UCLA alum has developed a lot since his time with the Lakers and is still an intriguing player when healthy. Though he has not been with the Lakers in nearly six years, Ball recently shed light on what he called “disrespect” from the team during his tenure.
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Lonzo Ball Had Strong Words for Lakers After ‘Disrespect’
ELIE DEGLAOUIMAY 19, 2025 1:00 PM EDT
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For two seasons after getting drafted by them in 2017, Lonzo Ball had an up-and-down tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. He had a slightly disappointing rookie season after being selected second overall, and the Lakers ultimately shipped him out to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the blockbuster deal for Anthony Davis.
Now a member of the Chicago Bulls, the UCLA alum has developed a lot since his time with the Lakers and is still an intriguing player when healthy. Though he has not been with the Lakers in nearly six years, Ball recently shed light on what he called “disrespect” from the team during his tenure.
Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2)
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Though most remember Ball during his time with the Lakers and Pelicans, another notable player who played for both teams at the time was Julius Randle. Randle joined the Pelicans as a free agent in 2018, one year before the blockbuster Davis trade.
They did not play much together in Los Angeles, but Ball and Randle were teammates there in 2017-18. Since then, their careers have been completely different, with Randle now in the Western Conference Finals as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Recently, Ball spoke about the Timberwolves forward and recalled a “disrespectful” moment that happened during their time in Los Angeles.
“They sat us all down early in the season in the locker room, went through everybody’s roles and sh*t. They got to [Julius Randle]. They talking about ‘just rebound and set screens, nothing else’. I’m like, ‘What the [expletive]?’ So then I’m like, ‘Nah,’ I low key spoke up,” Ball said on the What An Experience Podcast. I’m talking about ‘nah’. Like he one of our best players… And then after that [expletive], that’s when we got cool after that. But nah, they was disrespecting him crazy in LA, bro. And now look what he doing now.”
Randle has played a crucial role with the Timberwolves this season, and he and the team are just four wins away from making it to the NBA Finals for the first time in over 20 years. Though they will go up against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota has proven that they can head-to-head against them, and a large part of that is because of Randle’s presence.
