Lonzo Ball makes his feelings known about 2016 Chino Hills team's legacy in high school basketball

Lonzo Ball was introduced to the basketball world when he was one of the main stars in the famous 2016 Chino Hills in the high school circuit. Consisting of Ball, his brothers LaMelo and LiAngelo, Eli Scott and Onyeka Okongwu, the Chino Hills square was remembered for its electrifying plays and for dominating squads around the country.

In a recent interview with “Gil’s Arena,” Ball looked back at his special high school team, putting the Chino Hills squad as the greatest team ever assembled at that level. The current Chicago Bulls point guard even put his 2016 team over the 2020 Monteverde squad, which was also composed of future NBA stars.

“We at one to be honest,” Ball said. “We could have beat that Monteverde team.”

The 2020 Monteverde squad consisted of current Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham, alongside Moses Moody, Caleb Houstan, Scottie Barnes and Day’Ron Shapre. All of them have carved a place for themselves in the current NBA landscape.

Ball also expressed that, as a senior at the time, he could dominate the game however he wanted.

“As a senior, bro, if you were playing with kids who were junior, sophomore, or even freshman, it’s like no matter how many of them you have that are good, I’m still like the oldest … I can do whatever the f**k I want, so that’s what I felt when I was the senior (in Chino Hills),” Ball said

Chino Hills went 35-0 in the 2016 season, en route to winning the state championship and becoming the consensus top team in the country.

Aside from Lonzo, who got drafted second overall in the 2017 NBA draft, LaMelo Ball turned out to be the biggest star from the team. He was being drafted third overall in the 2020 draft by the Charlotte Hornets, before center Okongwu was selected later that year as the sixth pick by the Atlanta Hawks.

Lonzo Ball feels positive about career despite injury woes

After his highs in Chino Hills, and one year with UCLA, Lonzo Ball had a tumultuous NBA career marred by numerous injuries. Ball was sidelined for over two years before this season due to various knee issues, halting his career with the Bulls.

Ball remains positive about his recovery. In an interview with Julia Poe of the Chicago Sun Tribune, he described how he is coping with the physical and psychological scars of going through the recovery process.

“It’s coming back a lot faster than I’d thought,” Ball said. “I feel like I’m getting a little more bounce, a little more spring every game, so hopefully it just keeps improving over time. …

"I’m probably more cognitive of what I can and can do, but I’m doing things that I thought I wouldn’t be able to do this early, so I have no complaints at all.”

Looking like a shell of his former self, Ball has only played 12 games this season, averaging 5.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists.