Kobe Bryant or LeBron James? Who Is Greater For Lonzo Ball

Michael Jordan sparked a debate recently when he expressed his belief that Kobe Bryant still ranks ahead of LeBron James on the list of all-time NBA greats. Jordan cited the fact that Bryant has five titles to James' three to justify his answer.

Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball was asked about his thoughts on the debate, and his answer may surprise some. Ball was born and raised in southern California and grew up a Laker fan before being drafted by his favorite team, so it would be reasonable that Bryant would be his go-to response. But Ball shocked the world by picking James.

Lonzo Ball said:

"My favorite player was LeBron growing up, but [Jordan] does have a point. Championships do mean a lot," Ball said. "It's tough -- I'm a Laker, I wanna go with Kobe, but I've been saying LeBron my whole life so I'm gonna go with LeBron."

The question is a difficult one for Ball to answer as Bryant is a legendary member of the Los Angeles Lakers, while the team expects to pursue James next summer.

Ball was the second overall pick in the June draft.