How much is Lonzo Ball worth?
| Net Worth: | $25 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional NBA Player |
| Date of Birth: | October 27, 1997 (age 25) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.98 m) |
About Lonzo Ball
Lonzo Ball is a professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has played the position of point guard for 3 seasons, 2 with the Lakers and 1 with the Pelicans. Ball was the 2nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, where he was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers and expected to become the face of the franchise which had missed the playoffs for 4 consecutive seasons.
His first 2 seasons with the Lakers did not go smoothly, as he missed 65 games due to injury and shot only 38% from the field, 31.5% from 3 point range, and a horrific 43.7% from the free throw line. Ball was then traded to the New Orleans Pelicans to make room for a better supporting cast on the Lakers for Lebron James, who had signed with the team for the 2018-2019 season.
His first year with the Pelicans during the 2019-2020 season was by far his best year, as he played 63 of 72 games in the pandemic-shortened season, shooting a vastly improved 37.5% from 3 point range, and raising his free throw percentage to 56.6%.
He also averaged a career high 11.8 points per game, 7 assists per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, and 1.4 steals per game.
Before his professional career, he was named a McDonald’s All-American during his senior year in high school during the 2015-2016 season. He was also a 1st-Team All-American his freshman year at UCLA, the only year of college basketball that he played.
“I was kind of forced to rebound at a young age. I was usually at the back in the press of the 2-3 zone, because my brothers were smaller than me. So I usually got most of the rebounds.” Lonzo Ball
Lonzo Ball is most famous for the media frenzy generated by his father LaVar Ball that surrounded his draft status and rookie year with the Lakers. Although Lonzo Ball was a great college basketball player, he didn’t receive a lot of attention, partly because he played for UCLA on the West Coast, most of whose games were on late at night and not seen by the East Coast. However, toward the end of Lonzo Ball’s only season at UCLA, his father LaVar Ball began a masterful media campaign, making outrageous and braggadocios claims about how great a basketball player his son was.
He predicted his son would dominate the NBA and would be better than Lebron James, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players ever.
LaVar Ball went on several different major media outlets to campaign for his son, including ESPN and Fox Sports, much to the chagrin of the NBA hierarchy. As a result of LaVar Ball’s tactics and Lonzo’s success at UCLA, Lonzo was selected with the 2nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and instantly crowned as the next great player to lead the Lakers to another championship.
Lonzo Ball has an estimated net worth of $25 million, earned primarily through the rookie contract that he signed before the 2017-2018 season. The original 4-year deal had a total value of just under $33.5 million and will pay him a little over $11 million for the upcoming 2020-2021 season.
Lonzo Ball has not had enough success in the NBA yet to garner major endorsement deals. His net worth has also been hurt by his decision to not sign a shoe deal with an established shoe company such as Nike or Under Armour, opting instead to utilize the apparel company his father founded, which has largely failed.
Lonzo Ball’s success resulted from his ability to combine a successful high school and college basketball career with his father’s expert marketing tactics to increase his profile and draft status.
While Lonzo Ball significantly improved during the 2019-2020 NBA season, he is largely considered a major disappointment in the NBA, failing to live up to the massive expectations generated by his father.
However, he was able to secure a fully guaranteed contract worth just under $33.5 million and has enough talent to continue playing in the NBA and probably earn another $20 to $30 million.
Summing-Up
Lonzo Ball is a professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. He has completed 3 professional seasons at the point guard position, 2 with the Lakers and 1 with the Pelicans. He had a successful high school and college basketball career, using this success along with his father LaVar Ball’s media campaign to get drafted with the 2nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft and secure a 4-year fully guaranteed contract worth nearly $33.5 million.
Although he has not lived up to the expectations generated by his father, Ball is still a legitimate NBA basketball player and should continue to add to his $25 million net worth.
