Bulls' Lonzo Ball sends message to critics of LaMelo Ball, LiAngelo Ball and family

01/24/2025 09:39 PM

It’s been an incredible year for Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls, LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets, and newly-famous artist LiAngelo Ball.

The Bulls just wrapped up a stretch that saw them play five games in seven days, with travel to the West Coast for a three-game road trip against the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angles Clippers, and Golden State Warriors.

Despite dropping six of the team’s last seven games, the Bulls were able to secure a win against the Clippers in the hometown of Lonzo Ball.

Lonzo Ball sends message to critics of LaMelo, LiAngelo, Ball family

Lonzo Ball finished with only five points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block in the 112-99 Bulls victory over the Clippers.

It was Ball’s first game in his native Los Angeles since December 2021, largely due to the knee injuries he’s been dealing with battling over the last few seasons. Being able to play in Inglewood, about an hour away from where he played high school basketball at Chino Hills and 30 minutes from where he played college ball at UCLA, meant something to Ball.

“It’s always extra special coming back home,” Lonzo Ball said after the recent Bulls win over the Clippers. “I’m always happy when we win. So today was a great day for me… It was part of my journey. It’s always nice coming back here and playing in front of my people. L.A. has rocked with me since the beginning. I feel like I get a lot of love here whether we play the Lakers or the Clippers. Shoutout to the all the fans that stuck with me and still with me to this day.”

Ball and the Bulls were highly complimentary of the Clippers new stadium, the Intuit Dome.

“I actually like this arena a lot,” Lonzo Ball added. “I know I didn't shoot too well today, but shoutout [Steve] Ballmer for thinking about us. This is probably the best away locker room that I've ever been in. The stadium is definitely incredible. you can tell a lot has been put into it. Shout out to him for doing it.

“A bunch of stuff that I’ve never seen before. Fireworks and stuff before the game, that big [Halo Board] above the court, locker room, he’s got tubs over there and stuff. He's a very thoughtful man, thinking of the away team. We appreciate that.”

Bulls guard Lonzo Ball on the Clippers' Intuit Dome:

"I actually like this arena a lot. I know I didn't shoot too well but shoutout [Steve] Ballmer for thinking about us. This is probably the best away locker room that I've ever been in. He's a very thoughtful man, thinking of… pic.twitter.com/mVQSzo6Mls

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 22, 2025

Lonzo Ball’s return to the court this season has mixed in with what has been an incredible year for the Ball family.

LaMelo Ball, who nearly earned a spot as a starter on the 2025 Eastern Conference NBA All-Star team, is in the midst of a career year with the Charlotte Hornets. At age 23, LaMelo Ball is averaging 28 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 4.2 three-pointers made per game.

LiAngelo Ball recently released his hit single “Tweaker” which became an overnight sensation and was played in nearly every single NBA arena within a week. As the middle brother, LiAngelo also signed a record deal with Def Jam and will be performing at Rolling Loud in March.

Reporter: "A couple years ago, Jimmy Butler hinted at maybe wanting to finish his career with Bulls. Do you ever think about playing back [in L.A.] again?"

Lonzo Ball: "Nah. Wherever I'm at, that's what I focus on. I try not to look ahead into the future, and just take it day by… pic.twitter.com/gFVkpQZmoy

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 22, 2025

With the incredible success of the Ball family, Ball was posed with a question from Swish Cultures’ Ashten Smith-Gooden after the Bulls win about whether critics of the family owe LaVar, Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo an apology.

“I don’t think so,” Ball said. “I think everybody’s entitled to their opinions. Some people like us, some people don’t. It doesn’t really change my life. I’m just blessed and I thank God every day and I go out there and try to be the best me.”

More than anything, this season has been about Lonzo Ball getting back on the court and playing again after missing the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons due to complications with his knee injuries.

In his first season back since the 2021-22 season, Lonzo Ball is averaging 6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game for the Bulls in 20.5 minutes per game.

On the season, the Bulls are 19-26 and are currently the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference.

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