Lonzo Ball on Markelle Fultz: ‘I’m better than him’

The latest shot has been fired in the budding rivalry between top point guard prospects Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz.

In an appearance Tuesday on ESPN 710 LA, Ball spoke about Fultz, who is his primary competition to be selected No. 1 overall in next June’s NBA draft.

“Markelle’s a great player, but I feel I’m better than him,” Ball said, per ESPN. “I think I can lead a team better than him. Obviously he’s a great scorer — he’s a great player, so I’m not taking that away from him.”

Of course, you can’t really expect Ball to suggest anything to the contrary. But it’s at least a noteworthy development after Fultz appeared to subtweet Ball following UCLA’s loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 on Friday.

With just under three months to go before the draft, the ball is now in Fultz’s court (no pun intended), so we’ll see how/if he chooses to respond.