Luke Walton on Lonzo becoming the next Kobe: 'Anything in life is possible'

The sky-high expectations for Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball knows no bounds, and Lakers coach Luke Walton did little to stop the hype train on Wednesday.

Walton was stopped outside an establishment by one enterprising and excitable Lakers fan who asked him if Ball would become the second coming of Kobe Bryant.

"Anything in life is possible," Walton said while looking dead into the camera while wearing a sly smile during the TMZ Sports encounter.

As any decent coach would, Walton probably only wanted to show confidence in his player. Ball is already entering his first NBA campaign with incredible fanfare, and expectations have only grown after he dominated the competition at Las Vegas Summer League.

But expecting Ball to match Bryant is just setting an impossible standard for the 19-year-old, and Walton knows that.

Even replicating half of Bryant's accomplishments would make for an extraordinary career. Not only did Bryant win five titles for the historic franchise, but he also leads the Lakers in games played, minutes, field goals, 3-pointers, free-throws, points, and steals across a storied 20-year career.