LaVar Ball has long declared that his son, UCLA guard Lonzo Ball, is not only the best player in the NBA Draft, but the best player in the entire world. He’s talked him up for the entirety of his freshman season, going as far as to say he would lead the Bruins to a national title.
While the UCLA star won’t go quite as far to say he’s the best in the world, he does feel confident he stacks up favorably with his competition.
In an interview Tuesday with ESPN, Lonzo said that he’s better than Washington Huskies point guard Markelle Fultz -- a fellow freshman widely considered a top-five pick in the upcoming draft and the No. 1 pick by many.
“Markelle’s a great player, but I feel I’m better than him,” Ball said. “I think I can lead a team better than him. Obviously he’s a great scorer -- he’s a great player, so I’m not taking that away from him.”
Both Fultz and Ball will likely be battling in the upcoming draft. Both have already declared their intentions to forgo their remaining college eligibility, and in a point guard heavy draft class, Fultz and Ball might be the cream of the crop.
Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists this season, but Washington finished the season 9-22.
The 6-foot-6 Ball averaged 14.6 points and 7.7 assists, leading the Bruins to a remarkable 31-5 record and a Sweet 16 appearance.
In his latest mock draft, CBS Sports’ NBA Draft expert Howard Megdal has Fultz going No. 1 to the Celtics and Ball going No. 2 to the Lakers.
