Lonzo Ball says first season with LeBron was ‘a dream come true’

Lonzo Ball doesn’t agree with the perception, stated most notably by Kevin Durant, that the media environment surrounding LeBron James is toxic.

Of all of the people within the Lakers organization that bailed on their usual responsibilities to have exit interviews with the media at the end of the season, Lonzo Ball was one of the few big-name Lakers to answer questions Wednesday morning.

The “toxic” comments came up during the press conference, which Ball immediately rejected, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Lonzo Ball when asked about Kevin Durant's "toxic" comments about playing with LeBron said, "It was a dream come true to me … He was like a big brother"

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 10, 2019

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Ball and LeBron have apparently gotten closer over the past few weeks following the falling out Lonzo had with family business partner Alan Foster.

On the court, the two showed a strong connection and ability to play off each other. In 34 games together, the Lakers outscored their opponents by 2.3 points per 100 possessions when James and Ball shared the court. Ball assisted on 40 of LeBron’s field goals this season, good enough for third on the team, while LeBron assisted on 34 of Lonzo’s field goals, far and away the highest mark on the Lakers.