After months of buildup, Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball immediately had his first ‘welcome to the NBA’ moment. A summer trade that sent Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets meant Ball drew hard-nosed point guard Patrick Beverley, now a member of the L.A. Clippers, on opening night.
Beverley took it upon himself to guard Ball the length of the court and get physical with him. Ball made just one basket — a 3-pointer — grabbed nine rebounds and dished out nine assists over 29 minutes in the Lakers’ blowout loss.
Beverley said after the game his goal was to send a message, and he surmised others would do the same, in large part because of LaVar Ball’s relentless public comments.