Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball weighed in on the college basketball scandal that has engulfed the sports world on Friday, saying he believes the NCAA should allow players to be compensated and that the amateurism model should be nixed.
"Everybody knows everybody's getting paid," Ball said. "That's just how it is. Everybody's getting paid anyway, you might as well make it legal. That's how I feel."
Ball, who played just one season at UCLA before making the jump to the NBA, says he did not receive money from agents during his time at Westwood. His goal, he says, was simply to get to UCLA and get to the pros.
"My dad wasn't big on that," Ball said. "We just focused on going there and getting out."
Ball's comments came in a response to an explosive report from Yahoo Sports documenting names and payments made to both current and former college players, including players from Duke, Kentucky and Michigan State.
In the wake of the report, San Diego State has already suspended its top scorer and rebounder, Malik Pope, amid allegations that he accepted a loan from ex-agent Andy Miller.
