Let’s get right to it.
Lavar Ball. A man who- in order of importance- is a father, husband, as well as the CEO/Founder of the Big Baller Brand aka “BBB”- clothing line. His three sons being 20-year old Lonzo Ball- former UCLA Bruin turned second pick of the 2017 NBA draft and now point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, middle son- 19-year old LiAngelo Ball- also former UCLA Bruin who now plays overseas for the Lithuanian ball club- Vytautas Prienal-Birstonas- with the youngest of the Ball family boys, 16-year old, LiMelo Ball.
If one were to hop in a time machine and gun it to 88 back to say the beginning of 2016, this makeshift dictionary definition of a man who now floods your timelines would make absolutely no sense, simply because no one knew who he or any member of his family was. It is until this very same man, former Cal State Los Angeles men’s basketball player who averaged 2.2 points in 26 games for the Golden Eagles, proclaimed he not only could beat none other than Michael Jordan himself in a game of one on one, but that not one… all of his sons would one day play for the Los Angeles Lakers. To say Lavar is outspoken is only the tip of the iceberg.
He later went on to add to his “resume” by making controversial criticisms of both a female sports journalist and referee, pulled his youngest son, LiMelo, out of Chino Hills High School because he did not agree with the coaching style and principles of the head basketball coach, and followed up with the same order of operations with LiAngelo Ball, who got into legal trouble while overseas in China for shoplifting- leading to an indefinite suspension by UCLA’s head coach and a needless to say, unhappy Lavar- making commotion by then social media sparring with the 45th president of the United States.
So, you may be asking yourself, why is a man with seemingly outlandish behavior whose sons are now all professional basketball players- a) continuing to make news headlines and b) even being given a platform to begin with?
Steve Kerr, Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors, now referring to him as the “Kardashian of the NBA”, may have something to do with it. Thanks to the success of his Big Baller Brand, Facebook then fed the beast- giving Lavar Ball and Co. their very own reality show- “Ball in the Family.” Ball, in addition to his “triumphs” listed above, has since emerged on the scene with two “buzz worthy” headlines. The first is his latest idea of launching the “JBA” Junior Basketball Association; a league that is specifically for high school graduates who would not like to go to college and instead start on their way to becoming professional basketball players. The league is designed for 80 players who will be paid based on skill level and play in various markets across the country.
The second and more pressing issue pertains to his recent remarks during the Lakers 9-game losing streak- that has since been broken with a win at home Sunday, January 7, over the Atlanta Hawks, on how head coach, Luke Walton, has “lost control of the team” and going on to state, “the team no longer wants to play for him.” Walton appeared unbothered and even made light of the comments in a post-game news conference with the media, Sunday, keeping the focus on Lonzo and the relationship between player and coach. All the while, rookie and rising star, Kyle Kuzma, rallied behind his coach, stating, “Luke is my guy. I love playing for him. I’m sure most of us love playing for him too… We stand by Luke. I know the front office does.” Kuzma went on to describe the words under scrutiny as “white noise” and that the team as a whole needs to be held accountable for their losses- not just the coaches or players alone in terms of efficiency and execution.
Although no one can deny he is an incredibly dedicated, loving father to his children- the antics we have all seen growing up playing team sports of the parent yelling at the referee about a call, constantly being critical of the coach, and pacing up and down the sidelines had its time then and presently has no place in the National Basketball Association, let alone professional sports in general. It may not always be about what he is doing, as certain things are seemingly harmless. However, the manner in which he is taking action- the message he is sending and the ways what he is doing is taking away from what is most important is the true issue and the reason individuals such as Rick Carlisle, head coach of the Dallas Mavericks and president of the NBA’s Coaches Association, feel as though it is a “disgrace” media outlets such as ESPN give Ball the stage he will gladly meet the spotlight of, in addition to believing any of his antics be anything Los Angeles Lakers head coach, Luke Walton, should have to designate any of his time to deal with.
Considering the running track record, time will only tell before the next Lavar Ball breakout- regardless of the action many think is necessary to be taken by the Lakers front office. Therefore, in the mean time and in terms of advisory, it may be beneficial for this particular parent to retire his need for control and take a few notes from the one person whose spotlight is that much bigger than the one he has created for himself… his mild-mannered eldest son- less may very well be more in this case.
Written by Chanel Ray
Comments