Just about every day I open social media and have to read someone tell me how Lonzo Ball feels about being on the New Orleans Pelicans.
The problem is that these people are never Lonzo Ball himself.
Lonzo has always been a quiet guy who lets his game do the talking for him, which I appreciate. I wish everyone else would do the same.
Yesterday started with this:
Spoke to an agent on Lonzo Ball and his future with #Pelicans.
— Evan Massey (@massey_evan) March 28, 2021
“Lonzo enjoys playing for the Pelicans but isn’t a fan of New Orleans. However, he really wants to end up with the #Knicks or #Bulls. That has been a dream of his. It’s likely he will try to leave this offseason.”
Once again, an anonymous source gets to tell us all about how Lonzo Ball feels. Of course, Lonzo has never said any of this himself and has only had good things to say about his teammates and how much he loves playing with them, but let’s believe an anonymous rumor instead!
Pelicans’ Twitter spent the whole day in this drama, debating the merits of California and Louisiana and yelling at each other like an episode of some reality TV show where everyone had too much wine.
Trade rumors, contract talk and basketball fit all make sense to me, but why debate the merits of something Lonzo “might” have said?
Until I hear Lonzo Ball say something like this himself, I am going to assume it is all nonsense to drum up drama. Could a rival agent have any reason to say something like this? Gee, I wonder.
New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball is not his father
Same goes for LaVar Ball, who loves to go on the talk shows and say controversial things to get his name in the news.
Lonzo usually just laughs it off, which is what fans should do, as LaVar does not speak for Lonzo, does not represent him and often says things that are simply not true.
We fall for it every time and spend another week debating emotional points that have nothing to do with basketball. Wash, rinse, repeat.
I’ve never seen a fan base so caught up in the drama of one player, especially when none of it is actually being created by the player himself but instead by anonymous agents, his dad and his overzealous fans on social media.
We will find out how Lonzo Ball feels about the New Orleans Pelicans at the end of the season if and when he signs an extension.
When that happens, can we stop with the daily “Lonzo Ball said” drama? This is a basketball team, not a reality TV show, so let Lonzo speak for himself and quit listening to people who don’t matter.