Staples Center will host two notable UCLA alumni on Wednesday in Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, two players who have yet to face each other in the NBA.
Ball missed 30 games during his rookie season with the Lakers, including all four of the Lakers’ matchups with the Thunder. At shootaround on Wednesday, Ball told reporters that he’s looking forward to going head-to-head with reigning league MVP for the first time on Wednesday (via Matthew Moreno of Lakers Nation):
“He’s one of the best players in the league.