Markelle Fultz reignites Lonzo Ball rivalry

Top prospects Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball continue to lob grenades at each other in the media.

On Tuesday, it was Fultz’s turn to respond to Ball’s recent claim that he was the better player of the two.

“I have a lot of respect for him, and he’s supposed to say that. Anyone that’s your competitor is going to think that they’re better,” said Fultz, per ESPN. “To me, it was just funny, he just motivated me to work harder and be sure I put myself further and further in front.”

When pressed on if he expects his rivalry with Ball to continue in the NBA, Fultz replied, “He’s going to be [playing] my position, so … if he happens to be the point guard I’m going against, then yeah, I want to get him out the way.”

You can read the full remarks that Ball made about Fultz last month here.

A rivalry seemed inevitable between Ball and Fultz, a pair of Pac-12 freshman point guards who seem likely to be the top two overall picks in this June’s NBA draft. Things went nuclear when Fultz appeared to shade Ball upon UCLA’s elimination from this year’s NCAA Tournament, and they don’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.