He didn't bring his outlandish father. He didn't wear his $495 shoes.
He was not surrounded by an entourage. He wasn't trailed by his two little brothers. He was not showered by nasty boos or derisive chants or anything other than squeaking sneakers and the rattle of a rim.
When Lonzo Ball finally showed up at the Lakers' training facility this week, he carried no baggage, only himself, dressed in a gray T-shirt darkened by sweat and baggy Lakers shorts draped over skinny 19-year-old legs.
It is this kid, and not all of his present distractions, whom the Lakers would be drafting.
It is this kid, with his court awareness, athleticism and basketball IQ, whom the Lakers should be drafting.
They need to take the former UCLA star with the No. 2 overall pick later this month and not worry about all the other stuff when they do it.
As his solo pre-draft workout and ensuing media session Wednesday showed, it's all about the Ball and the ball.
"I want to stay home," he said afterward, and the Lakers should want the same thing.
By all accounts, the hour-long workout was typically Lonzo impressive. Afterward, the news conference was typically Lonzo muted.
It lasted just a few ticks short of eight minutes. In keeping with his deportment throughout last season with the Bruins, Lonzo offered none of the bluster that his father LaVar mindlessly spouts and shamelessly sells.
"They have a lot of good players, I just think they need a leader, a point guard, and I feel like I can bring that to the team," Lonzo said of the Lakers.
That's as crazy as he got, and, well, he was exactly right. The Lakers need his aura in his position. He's in the right place at the right time with the history to prove it.
Lonzo Ball promises to bring 'winning atmosphere' to Lakers
Last season, in pushing UCLA into the Sweet 16, Ball did more than just lead the team. He empowered them. He made them all better every time he touched the ball. In this arrogant age of the one-and-done, he was that rare child star who was completely unselfish, an attitude which would completely work in Luke Walton's system.
And the Lakers shouldn't take him because, what, his father acts like a loudmouth fool?
I asked him what he would say to those worried that LaVar's musings would be a distraction, especially in his hometown.
"They said that about me in high school, they said that about me in college, and I don't think it affected me," he said.
I asked if he thought his father made him a target, and did that concern him?
"It definitely doesn't help, it definitely makes it a little bit harder," he said. "But any good player is going to have attention on him at times, and I'm pretty used to it by now."
There, did you hear that? By saying that his father makes it harder for him, Lonzo Ball took the first step in telling him to shut up. This will surely happen again if LaVar keeps boasting and babbling once Lonzo has to start answering to an NBA boss and teammates.
Here's guessing he'll quiet down. Here's guessing if a powerful figure like Magic Johnson can't stare down LaVar, Lonzo will eventually feel strong enough to do it himself. Just ask any parent with teen-age kids. Lonzo will eventually mature and find the words to tell his dad to just let him play.
"I know who I am, people who know me know who I am, and that's all that matters," said Lonzo, who showed up in James Harden shoes instead of his ballyhooed signature brand.
Having been around the UCLA basketball team in the final months last season, I can buy coach Steve Alford's observation that the father was no factor. He was rarely at games and, if he was, he stayed in the background.
All this crazy talk didn't happen until after Lonzo had left UCLA. His race-related comments about the Bruins were reprehensible, but here's guessing that he's too savvy to cause similar trouble while his son is actually playing for the team.
Forget the dad, focus on the son, that's what Wednesday was about, and now the next logical thing is for the Lakers to ask Ball to join them.
Some feel they have no choice for publicity reasons. That's just silly. Just because Lonzo Ball has a lot of buzz doesn't mean he has a lot of fans. Many in town are scared off by LaVar, others by Lonzo's poor showing in UCLA's season-ending loss to Kentucky and De'Aaron Fox, another potential top draft pick.
The Lakers need to select Ball solely because of basketball reasons. No other player fits their future so snugly. No other player seems better suited to lead them back to the playoffs.
Ball, who noted he patterned his game after Johnson, said the Lakers told him they were looking for someone just like him.
"They said ... if I get picked, come in and be a leader and play with a lot of pace," he said. "So the stuff they were saying was very positive and kind of fits my game."
The Lakers apparently even said nice things about LaVar.
"They said they love him, and that's about it," Lonzo said.
Love him, hate him, the best thing the Lakers can do is ignore the father, embrace the future, and pick the son.
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