Former UCLA Bruins star Lonzo Ball has left a good first impression on Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram.
Ingram and Ball have been around each other less than a month since guard Ball just got drafted by the Lakers on June 22 in Brooklyn.
The duo was playing for the first time together this past Friday when the Lakers met city rivals Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. The two haven't and won't be suiting up alongside each other anymore in Las Vegas as Ingram has been shut down for the rest of the way after Friday's opener.
However, Ingram and Ball have been hanging out in the gym long enough to give Ingram, 19, a glimpse of how hard a worker the 19-year-old Ball is.
''I think Lonzo is a very humble guy,'' Ingram said during Lakers' Summer League game three against the Sacramento Kings. ''He comes out here, he works very hard and it shows on a basketball floor.''
Ball fully dedicated to basketball
Brandon Ingram believes Lonzo Ball's dedication to basketball is at its best as the UCLA product is ''obsessed'' with the game that he plays professionally.
The Ball family has a basketball tradition as father LaVar has some college experience while Lonzo's younger two brothers, LiAngelo and LaMelo, are in the game as well.
LiAngelo Ball is set to kick off his rookie college season at UCLA this upcoming November while LaMelo Ball, 15, is still in high school, playing for Chino Hills.
Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka are all about hard work, commitment, and dedication. Ball's personality and work ethic were certainly a factor in the team's decision to make him the number two overall pick last month.
''I don't think he thinks about anything else but basketball. Everything else is nothing,'' Ingram said.
Ingram remains with his teammates
Rising Los Angeles Lakers star Brandon Ingram intends to stay in Las Vegas until the team finishes its Summer League campaign.
The Lakers decided not to use Ingram anymore in Las Vegas after an injury scare seen at the end of Friday's game against the Clippers.
As Ingram's game-winning shot didn't go in, the forward fell on the floor and was clearly in some pain. Ingram clarified post-game that it's nothing serious -- just a cramp -- but the team wanted to take no any further risks.
The 19-year-old claims that he won't be having any days off in Sin City.
''I'm still working out here,'' Ingram said. ''When I get back to L.A. I'm going to work out there. Continue to work on each part of the game.''
