Lonzo Ball to Lakers expected to be top 2017 NBA Draft story

Lonzo Ball announced after the UCLA Bruins got eliminated in the Sweet 16 of the 2017 NCAA March Madness that he is declaring for upcoming NBA Draft in June. The decision was widely expected and the versatile guard is expected to go as high as the No. 1 pick in the rookie draft.

"That was my final game for UCLA, and I appreciate all the fans and all the support," Ball said via ESPN after UCLA lost to the Kentucky Wildcats, 86-75 on Saturday.

In most NBA mock drafts, Ball has ended up as a projected Top 3 talent. Other rivals that could end up as the No. 1 pick are Josh Jackson (Kansas) and Markelle Fultz (Washington). De’Aaron Fox, who plays for the team that eliminated Ball, is also expected to be within the top picks in the rookie draft in June. The upcoming rookie class is seen as one of the deepest in years.

Jackson, Fultz and Ball are expected to have superstar potential in the pro league after showing they can lead their teams in college basketball.

The Boston Celtics could potentially pick first in the rookie draft, thanks to an earlier trade with the Brooklyn Nets, which owes the Celtics the 2017 first rounder this year. The Nets are on their way to being the worst team in the league the current 2016-2017 NBA Season. This means that a Celtics team that has a chance to win the Eastern Conference can add a top prospect in the rookie draft.

There will still be a lottery process to decide which team picks first to fourteenth. If the lottery ball odds fall the way in which the teams finish, the Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers will pick the first five.

Ball’s father, LaVar has made controversial statements leading up to the 2017 NCAA March Madness tournament. The elder Ball said that he wants Lonzo to play for the Lakers. The Ball family is from Anaheim, California.

"All I said was that my boy is going to play for the Lakers, and I'm going to speak it into existence," Lavar said to ESPN in recent weeks. "I want him to be a Laker, but I wasn't saying he's only going to play for the Lakers."

LaVar has also made other controversial statements like saying that Lonzo will have a similar impact for the Lakers, if they pick him, like NBA legend Magic Johnson had in his career. He also claimed that he would have beaten Michael Jordan in a one-on-one game during the prime of his career. It’s not clear how Lavar Ball’s statements will affect the draft stock of his son.

However, Ball is expected to still go high in the rookie draft. The question now is if the Los Angeles Lakers want to draft a player who has an outspoken and controversial father, who hogs the headlines away from his son. Lonzo Ball to the Los Angeles Lakers is still a big possibility come the 2017 NBA Draft.