"Tell them nothing": LeBron James tells Lonzo Ball in discreet postgame chat
What's the story?
The postgame conversation between LeBron James and Lonzo Ball reveals that the Cleveland superstar told the rookie to find his "zone" and "stay locked in" but to keep their talk private.
In case you didn't know...
LeBron posted 25 points, 12 assists and 12 rebounds in the Cavaliers win over the Lakers to complete his 59th career triple-double and tie Larry Bird for the 6th place on the all-time list. Note: James was Ball's favorite player growing up
The heart of the matter...
After the Cavaliers' 121-112 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, James had a brief chat with Lonzo Ball after pulling his jersey over his mouth. The content of this conversation was confirmed by ESPN after a Reddit user published a transcript of the conversation with an audio.
"Find your zone and just stay f-----g locked in," James said on the court after pulling his jersey over his mouth. "The media is going to ask you what I told you right now. Tell them nothing. Just be aggressive every single day. It's white noise to you. That's all it is. All right? Let's go."
This short conversation as expected made national headlines, but both the players declined to discuss the contents of the conversation as LeBron told the reporters "None of Y'all business,".
Ball followed and refused to accept that any conversation happened as he said: "didn't tell me anything." Ball was more interested to talk about his experience of playing against the King as he was his favourite player to watch while growing up. "Watching him doesn't do him justice, It's very hard to stop him with that size, that speed. That's why I say he's the best player in the world right now, and it's hard to deal with.
Ball was asked if he pitched LeBron on joining the Lakers this summer, he replied: "Nah, I didn't say nothing,".
What's next?
The hype and the drama will continue when Los Angeles hosts the All-Star Weekend in February as the two will again be involved in several activities.
Author's take
With LeBron James being the biggest price this off-season, this secret conversation gives air to the rumor of him joining the Lakers.