LeBron, Lonzo have more in common than you think

Northeast Ohio and Southern California are about as different as two places get in the United States, but blue-chip athletic talent is universal. While no two prep athletes walk the same path, there are deep similarities between the stories of LeBron James and Lonzo Ball, who will meet Thursday on an NBA court for the first time.

James was raised by a single mother in a low-income area of Akron, Ohio. Ball grew up in a suburban home with a swimming pool in upscale Chino Hills, Calif. Both, however, were anointed basketball prodigies at a young age. While Ball didn't appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 17 like James did, he came of age in a knee-jerk social media era with a grandstanding hype man for a father.

Circumstances led both players to be drafted by their hometown teams during on-court downturns. There's no valid comparison between the franchise histories of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, but pressure is pressure.

"So, can I draw any parallel to my experience? I mean, of course," James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I guess when you're drafted to a franchise, they want you to kind of be the savior. And it takes a while."

It took James until his second season to get the Cavs to the playoffs, and four years to drag a squad supplemented by Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to the NBA Finals.

Related: LeBron commends Lonzo amid media hype: 'I love his humility'

Ball's path will likely be different. For starters, he's not the transcendent talent James is, regardless of what LaVar says. And, as a Laker, it's expected he'll play with some big-name free-agent additions - possibly James himself - in the near future.

While James faced his own learning curve in his rookie year - he shot 2-of-13 with four points and five turnovers in a Dec. 3, 2003, loss to the Clippers - he didn't struggle like Ball has under an even bigger microscope. Yet, while the point guard's shooting has been abysmal, his team game has been fine - not to mention almost statistically identical to Jason Kidd's career start through 26 games.

"I mean, listen, man, this guy is 20-something games into his pro career," James told McMenamin. "It goes back to my instant oatmeal (quote) - everybody wants it right away. Can he play ball? Absolutely. The kid can play ball. Do guys want to play with him? Absolutely, because it's a guy who is not about him. It's about the success of the team. And he gives the ball up, and he passes the ball, and there's energy behind the ball."

For all his dominance over the league, James remains one of the most selfless players in NBA history on the court. It's a template Ball, who grew up owning James posters and jerseys, can aspire to.

"He just plays the game the right way," Ball said, according to the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli. "He probably can easily try and go for 50 every night, but he focuses on his team, tries to go for triple-doubles, gets guys involved. It's my first time playing him, should be a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to it."