Lonzo Ball Injury: Rookie Laker Missed Summer League Finals; Named League MVP
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball had to skip the National Basketball Association Summer League championship game on Monday due to an injury, but he was still able to snatch the Most Valuable Player award for the off-season games.
During Sunday's game between the L.A. Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks, Ball had to sit out the third quarter after feeling tightness in his right calf. Though the injury did not sound serious, he said it was the first time he felt pain in that part of his leg.
Despite Ball's absence, the Lakers took home the championship trophy against the Portland Trailblazers, 110-98.
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After being pulled from the said game, Ball and his team were initially positive that he could get back to the court for the championship game on Monday. However, as a precautionary measure, the team decided that Ball should skip the said match.
A sports reporter for the L.A. Lakers, Mike Trudell, confirmed on Monday that Ball will have to skip the Summer League championship game despite the 19-year-old player's desire to be on the court. "LAL staff wanted to take precaution and not make the calf worse," Trudell added.
Ball was the Lakers' overall second draft pick this year and he is proving that he is worth it. The up-and-coming professional baller has been making headlines with his promising performance during the off-season Summer League in Las Vegas.
Despite missing the final game for the NBA Summer League, he is recognized as the off-season competition's MVP as he finished with 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. His assists, rebounds and steals numbers are this year's Summer League bests.
As Ball skips the game, the Lakers found another promising player in the Summer League's Championship MVP Kyle Kuzma who exploded with 30 points and 10 rebounds in Monday night's game.
Along with Ball, those with the NBA Summer League 2017 First Team honors are John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks, Josh Jackson from the Phoenix Suns, Dennis Smith Jr. of Dallas Mavericks, and Caleb Swanigan from the Portland Trailblazers.
