Lonzo Ball on LeBron James: 'I've Looked Up to Him My Whole Life'

Lonzo Ball is living out a childhood dream now that he gets to play alongside LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

In an interview with Scott Cacciola of the New York Times, Ball explained his fascination began during James' first NBA season in 2003-04. 

"I've looked up to him my whole life," Ball said, who turned six years told two days before James' first professional game with the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 29, 2003. 

Despite playing last season with the Cavs, James seemed to take a liking to Ball during the latter's rookie campaign. Following Cleveland's 121-112 win over the Lakers on December 14, 2017, the four-time NBA MVP stuck around for a moment to deliver a message to the 21-year-old.

Now that they are teammates, Ball is still finding his comfort zone next to the ball-dominant James. The former UCLA star is averaging 9.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. 

The upside is James' arrival in Los Angeles has made the Lakers playoff contenders for the first time in six years. They enter Christmas Day with a 19-14 record, just 3.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors in the Pacific Division.