"He was never the best player": Lonzo Ball makes bold statement on Kobe Bryant, snubs Lakers legend from Mt. RushmoreLonzo Ball makes bold statement on Kobe Bryant, snubs Lakers legend from Mt. Rushmore (Image: NBA.com, Lonzo Ball IG)

Featuring on the recent episode of WNBA star Angel Reese’s podcast “Unapologetically Angel”, Lonzo Ball omitted Kobe Bryant from his Mount Rushmore of top four NBA players ever.

The Chicago Bulls star quickly named LeBron James and Michael Jordan to his list, also championing Bryant’s Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal for the honor. While Ball contemplated between Magic Johnson and Steph Curry for the final spot, he dismissed Reese’s suggestion of Bryant.

While he admitted that he loves Kobe, Lonzo justified his decision to omit the Lakers legend by citing that Bryant has the most missed shots in NBA history.

“I love Kobe but he was never the best player to me,” Ball said. “Just because he got the most misses ever.”

Meanwhile, Lonzo’s brother, LiAngelo, also picked LBJ and MJ for his list and added Kobe, highlighting that he doesn’t worry about misses. Gelo was in splits between Curry and Kevin Durant for the final spot.

Watch the moment at 33:12 here:

However, Lonzo Ball’s justification falls short as Kobe Bryant now has the second most missed shots in NBA history after LeBron James overtook him when he totaled 14,481 missed shots in his career last month.

However, James is currently at 40,870 career points, having shot 50.6%, while Bryant concluded his career with 33,643 points with 44.7% shooting.

Lonzo Ball hints at new Ball family reality show

During the same podcast with Angel Reese, Lonzo Ball and his younger brother, LiAngelo, spoke about their life under the basketball spotlight since their early high school days. They spoke of the Ball family’s reality TV show, Ball in the Family, and highlighted that the constant cameras around them from a young age made them uncomfortable.

However, they also mentioned that they eventually got used to the cameras and acknowledged that it may have helped them get where they are now.

“I think the show helped us do the podcast now. Early on, I didn’t like it, it was definitely a shock for me in my daily life, just someone following you around. I wasn’t too cool with that. … I think I was a little shy back then. I think I’m more outspoken now. I think that helped me get to the place I’m at now,” Lonzo said.

“When I was younger, I’m not gonna lie, I hated that sh*t,” LiAngelo added. “I hated it, I’m like damn, move. But when I got older, when you get older you’re like ‘forget it.’ You just gonna do whatever, I was just being me at that point. I’m like, the camera’s gonna be here, so.”

Further, when asked if they would return to the reality spotlight nearly four years after their final episode aired, Lonzo Ball shared that they have a project already in the works.

“We actually got something in the works… it might pop off, we’ll see,” Ball said.

Their previous show, Ball in the Family, ran for over six seasons from August 2017 to December 2022 with 116 episodes. The show featured the brothers’ high school days in Chino Hills, California, along with LaMelo Ball’s stint playing in Lithuania.