Media Day came and went for 28 of the 30 National Basketball Association franchises yesterday, and, as expected, the stars garnered the attention. Except, that is, in Los Angeles, where the Lakers鈥 Lonzo Ball held court and responded to query after query under klieg lights normally reserved for, and with the aplomb of, marquee names. In part, it鈥檚 because of the pomp and circumstance intrinsically associated with donning purple and gold. In larger measure, it鈥檚 because the rookie hit the pro scene with extraordinary public exposure built up in no small measure by his business-savvy father.
In this regard, it鈥檚 no surprise to find front-office personnel having to fend off speculation about LaVar about as often as they needed to expound on their confidence in Lonzo. In insisting that he wouldn鈥檛 be employing a full-court press on pere et fils (one off the court and the other on it, of course), Lakers President Magic Johnson did concede that he harbored great expectations. 鈥淕ive (LaVar) credit. He understands how to market the Big Baller Brand. But my job is not to monitor him,鈥 the Hall of Famer noted. 鈥淔ifteen guys, that is all I鈥檓 concerned with. And I am concerned with his son getting off to a good and fast start.鈥
By all accounts, Lonzo is doing just fine. Unlike his father, he鈥檚 not gregarious by nature. He prefers to lead by example, in Johnson鈥檚 opinion exactly the type of player slated to progress these days. 鈥淵ou think about my style. I am in your face. I don鈥檛 think the kids today would go for my style. This is the style he has to have in today鈥檚 game, and I think it works.鈥 And it isn鈥檛 as if he shuns the responsibility. On the contrary, he seems to want to embrace it. For all the scrutiny he invites, he possesses self-assurance; he knows, for instance, that he will be the target of opponents precisely because of all the hype, but believes he can 鈥済o out and do my job鈥 all the same.
The proof of the pudding is, as the clich茅 goes, in the eating, so the success, or lack thereof, of LaVar鈥檚 first year depends on how far the Lakers will go. 鈥淲e鈥檙e focused on making the playoffs,鈥 he disclosed matter-of-factly. He鈥檚 fully aware of the gravity of the challenge, foreseeing it to be 鈥渁 tough journey.鈥 At the same time, he鈥檚 鈥渓ooking forward to it.鈥 In short, he鈥檚 ready and willing, and time will tell if he ends up being able as well.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
