Why Lonzo Ball won’t put Kobe Bryant in his NBA Mount Rushmore

Black Mamba Blasphemy.

Lonzo Ball gave Angel Reese his NBA Mount Rushmore during a recent appearance on her “Unapologetically Angel” podcast, and KB24 didn’t make the cut.

“If you had to pick a top four – no order,” Reese investigated the 27-year-old Bulls guard.

Lonzo Ball gave his NBA Mount Rushmore during a recent appearance on the “Unapologetically Angel” podcast. Instagram / “Unapologetic Angel Show”
Angel Reese brought up Lonzo Ball on her “Unapologetically Angel” podcast. Instagram / “Unapologetic Angel Show”

“Lebron, Jordan,” Ball began. “I’ll take Shaq, (also) because he’s the most dominant ever.”

“And then fourth, I go — we just had this debate — I wanted to go to the Magic, but I’m … it looks like Curry might have to find his way in there, honestly.”

“Why curry?” Reese asked. “Not Kobe?”

Lonzo Ball (2) listens to LeBron James (23) after the game at Quicken Loans Arena on December 14, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Lakers 121-112. Getty Images

Ball struggled to find the words: “Just because … he kind of does it, so … I love Kobe, but he was never the best player for me … just because he had the most misses ever, you know what I’m saying? I don’t know.”

It’s the second most heinous thing to come out of a Ball’s mouth this month, never mind the fact that LeBron actually surpasses Kobe on the all-time misses list – 14,628 to 14,481.

People attend the unveiling of a new mural of the late Kobe Bryant, created by muralist Odeith and Los Angeles-based illustrator Nikkolas Smith, in Los Angeles, California, on August 24, 2022. AFP via Getty Images

“But back to Curry,” Ball told Reese. “His resume and the way he changed the game, he’s the best shooter ever. (He) carried America like, (there) is nothing he hasn’t done. And he got the rings to back it up, too.”

In Ball’s defense, there are only wrong answers to the question of who the greatest basketball players of all time are.

Every GOAT judge will have his detractors, and Ball’s came out in full force in the comments section of a clip the “Unapologetic Angel” podcast shared via Instagram.

“Perfect example of telling me your age without telling me your age!” wrote a user.

Lonzo Ball (2) warms up before the game against the New York Knicks on November 13, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NBAE via Getty Images

“Bro will be hated by half the nba fans,” opined another.

“Mad Lakers traded him so he talked bad about Kobe,” read a third.

Ball, the second overall pick by Los Angeles in 2017, played two seasons with the franchise before being shipped to New Orleans in a three-team deal in July 2019.

He had the best season of his career in his second with the Pelicans, 2020-21, averaging 14.6 points per game.

The point guard was sent to Chicago at the end of that season, where he struggled to stay on the court.

Ball did not play in either 2022–23 or 2023–24 due to a meniscus injury and, due to wrist injuries, has appeared in just four games so far through the 2024–25 season.