By Claire Neemann
LaVar Ball is the type of person who can’t stand to watch other people succeed. Once his son, Lonzo, began to make a name for himself at UCLA, LaVar twisted his success and transformed it into “The LaVar Ball Show.”
After a while, anytime someone would mention Lonzo’s name, his father’s name most likely followed somewhere in the sentence.
That is definitely not the way it should be.
Lonzo, although he had trained with his father, is his own person and made a name for himself… HIMSELF with the work he has put on and off of the court.
LaVar Ball played college basketball at West Los Angeles College which is in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) before transferring to Washington State the next season. While he was at Washington State he averaged 2.2 points per game.
Even though he averaged two points per game, Ball continued on to say he could’ve beat Michael Jordan in a one-on-one game in his “heyday.” The year Ball averaged a whopping two points per game, Jordan averaged an astounding 35 points per game.
If a person was to mention all-time greats in basketball history, the names Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or LeBron James would probably be on the list. And, even though LaVar thinks he deserves a spot on that list, he is definitely not one of them and will never compare to them.
Most of Ball’s comments first started out of his love for his children. Not just about Lonzo, but his sons in high school, LiAngelo and LaMelo. But, around the time of the new year, the comments started to become criticism.
In February of this year, LaVar assured that Lonzo is better than the unanimous MVP last year, Steph Curry. First of all, no. Sure Lonzo was a terrific college player, but one cannot compare a college player to one of the best NBA players in the league.
To add on to his absurd comments, LaVar thinks that his three sons are worth a billion dollars in endorsements. A billion dollars!! Like come on dude! There is no way any company would ever spend one billion dollars on three kids, two who haven’t even graduated from high school. If LiAngelo (a senior) and LaMelo (a sophomore) are really that great, then why do they only come into sports news when they score a ridiculous amount of points because of cherry-picking?
On May 4, LaVar’s brand, Big Baller Brand, released a shoe called the ZO2. The price? $495. Hold up a second, did this man actually just release a shoe that costs $495 that’s named after a kid WHOSE CAREER HASN’T MADE IT PAST PAULEY PAVILION!? And, of course, like any other of the LaVar Ball Scandals, he has to make some unnecessary comment to make his situation even worse. Like others who like to be vocal using social media, LaVar took Twitter to share his unwanted thoughts!
LaVar said, and I quote, “Big Baller’s loose! If you can’t afford ZO2’S, you’re NOT a BIG BALLER!”
He actually did that. He brought athletes personal or family finances into the picture. Does he not realize how many athletes come from absolutely nothing? Not every family in America is so privileged that their daddy can pay an excessive price for a pair of shoes. This whole thing is just straight up disturbing…
He is out there defacing some of the greatest basketball players to have ever played the game. LaVar does not have a place to critique any NBA player considering the game of basketball left him before he left the game.
It nauseates me that people continue to stick microphones and cameras in front of him, after everything he has said, waiting for him to say something. Not only is he embarrassing himself, but his children and the game of basketball.
I will never understand how people find what LaVar is saying to be entertaining or amusing. At some point LaVar is going to have to learn that his loud mouth is going to end up hurting every single one of his sons’ careers. No professional team is going to want to deal with a father who can’t act professional.
People should start caring more about the player in the jersey, not the father who can’t keep his mouth shut on the sideline.
