Lonzo Ball says 'I'm better than' fellow draft prospect Markelle Fultz

Lonzo Ball said he is a better player than Markelle Fultz, citing his ability to "lead a team better" than theWashingtonstar.

Ball and Fultz are widely considered to be the top two prospects in this year's NBA draft. Ball, who declared for the draft last Friday after UCLAwas eliminated from the NCAA tournament, addressed the debate between himself and Fultz during an interview Tuesday with ESPN 710 LA.

"Markelle's a great player, but I feel I'm better than him," said Ball, who led the Bruins to a pair of blowout victories over Fultz's Huskies this season.

"I think I can lead a team better than him," Ball added. "Obviously he's a great scorer -- he's a great player, so I'm not taking that away from him."

Fultz, who also declared for the draft earlier this month, recently was rated as the No. 1 overall prospect by ESPN's Chad Ford, while Ball was selected as the No. 2 player.

Fultz and Ball also were projected as the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks, respectively, in Ford's latest mock draft.

The 6-foot-4 Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game as a freshman this season, but Washington went just 9-22 overall and 2-16 in Pac-12 play.

The 6-foot-6 Ball averaged 7.7 assists per game -- the best mark in Division I -- and also was UCLA's third-leading scorer at 14.6 points per game. The star freshman led the Bruins to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, where they were eliminated by Kentucky.