Lonzo ball disagreed with Patrick Beverley’s assertion that a WNBA team can beat an NBA team’s bench players if they played against each other. Ball offered his dissenting opinion when Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. spoke about the topic during his recent appearance on Zo’s “Ball in the Family” podcast.
The Cleveland Cavaliers guard went even further, saying that even the 14 or 15 year old version of himself wouldn’t have been stopped by WNBA players.
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“I mean this with as much respect as possible, but ninth-year WNBA Lonzo Ball goes crazy. So, I would say after ninth grade, no. But before that… Because listen, in ninth grade, I’m over six feet tall and I dunk. Like, I do it like… No girl in the WNBA does that. I walk out the door, I throw up. I look like Michael Jordan over there!” Ball boasted.
MPJ said eighth grade
Ball started playing basketball when he was just six years old. At the age of 12, he told his father he wanted to play professionally and LaVar began coaching him. Two years later, he was a starter on Chino Hills High School’s varsity team and instantly became a star.
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In a Interview 2018Ball said he was bigger and faster than all the kids his age at the time. So if he was over six feet tall at the time, and the average height of WNBA The players are six feet tall, Lonzo can have an argument.
However, Porter took the point even further by saying he would have held his own even in eighth grade. He spoke about his personal experience, growing up playing against his sisters, who both played college basketball at the University of Missouri, as well as other elite players who went on to reach the WNBA, including Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.
“So I have real experience.” MPJ said. “It’s just a difference, and I wish it would stop being a conversation because it should be common sense. I appreciate common sense. Sometimes I feel like I’ve lost a little bit.”
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Williams feels the same way
Ball and Porter Jr. weren’t the first to boast that their high school versions would be better than those of WNBA players. Former Sacramento Kings guard Jason Williams was actually the first to reprimand Beverley for his claim and made it to his face during an episode of their podcast “Hoopin’ N’ Hollerin.”
“West Virginia’s 1994 DuPont High School would beat WNBA All-Star team today,” Williams with confidence declared. “What is A’ja Wilson doing to J-Will on the court? If she gets 30, I get 60… You know you’re talking about the greatest women’s player of all time? Belt up, like you say… I’m willing to bet my life. I’ll bet my life… No way.”
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It’s crazy to think that high school kids can beat a team of skilled professionals, even if it’s men against women. After all, most eighth and ninth graders are not yet physically well-built and strong.
Again, here’s what Ball looked like in ninth grade, so everyone can decide for themselves.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on November 21, 2025, where he first appeared in the Latest news section. Add Basketball Network as Favorite source by clicking here.
