What do you get when you have a loud-mouthed father, three prodigy-like basketball sons, and the last name ‘Ball?’ Apparently, you get a whole lot of media.
The Ball brothers are quickly becoming hits in the sports world, and it isn’t just because of their talent on the basketball court. Much of their media coverage comes from their father, LaVar Ball, who does most of the speaking and representation.
Lonzo Ball is the eldest of the three boys. He currently plays starting point guard for UCLA. LiAngelo Ball is the middle son, a senior at Chino Hills High School in southern California. LaMelo Ball is the youngest and a sophomore at Chino Hills.
LaMelo received attention when he scored 92 points in a single high school game. Why is this important? Because most high school teams don’t even score 92 points as a whole. In fact, some people have criticized the youngest Ball because he “cherry-picked” the shots.
LaVar Ball’s response was that it wasn’t LaMelo that should be criticized. He said the other team’s coach should have put another man on him.
This is all fine and dandy except that it’s high school. It isn’t college or the NBA. These are just kids trying to have fun or earn a sports scholarship for college.
While LaVar Ball isn’t above talking about how great all his sons are, you’ll typically hear him talking about his first-born, Lonzo, the most.
Various media sites have heard LaVar’s ostentatious comments about Lonzo. The most outlandish comment being that “he’s better than Steph Curry in the NBA.”
Can we just take a moment to realize that Lonzo Ball isn’t even out of college yet? Curry already has a championship ring with the Golden State Warriors and can shoot a half-court shot almost on demand?
It doesn’t stop there with LaVar Ball though.
He has also stated that Lonzo, as well as LiAngelo and LaMelo, will all be drafted to the NBA after their first year in college.
It is illegal to be drafted unless a player has completed at least one year of college. If it weren’t, LaVar Ball would probably have pushed the Lonzo straight into the draft.
The last player to be drafted that quickly was Ohio’s own Lebron James, who went straight to the NBA after high school (before the law was made.)
Is LaVar Ball going to come after James next?
No, he is skipping right over Bron-Bron to come at Michael Jordan. LaVar has also said that Lonzo Ball is going to be better than Jordan.
LaVar also believes Lonzo is going to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. He originally made the comment that Lonzo would only play for the Lakers, but he later said he meant “at some point.”
Okay, it sounds like there’s already a deal being made here. Let’s take a quick look at the Lakers season this year, too.
They’re awful, and some people feel like the Lakers are tanking on purpose to get a higher seed in the draft. Since Lonzo Ball is predicted to be in the top three draft picks, it’s like a match made in basketball heaven.
LaVar Ball has also said that his sons will be the first drafted to the NBA with their own brand, Big Baller Brand.
That would actually be an accomplishment, to be drafted with your own brand. What seems to be the craziest part is that LaVar Ball has said he refuses to sign any type of shoe deal unless it will involve co-branding.
What this means is that any Ball brothers shoe wouldn’t have the logo of the partnered brand on it. For example, it would be similar to Jordan’s shoe deal because Air Jordan is its own brand even though Jordan partnered with Nike to create and sell the shoe.
LaVar Ball said that once he does get a deal for the boys it will be a $1 billion deal.
Is he out of his mind?
Around 2003 when Lebron James first became a Nike athlete, he was only offered $90 million with incentives. His most recent deal is said to be around $1 billion. However, that is said to be a lifetime contract.
LaVar Ball thinks his sons, who aren’t even in the NBA yet, are worth basically the same amount as Lebron James, another championship winning NBA star.
Many people think LaVar should stop talking so much and just let the boys play ball, but as LaVar himself says “two words don’t meet – LaVar Ball and shut up.”
Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors, said in an interview with ‘Waddle and Silvy’ on ESPN Radio, “I think it’d be better for [the boys] if they can just play and have fun and not have to hear that every day.”
The boys say that it isn’t anything new though. Their dad is just getting more attention now with media.
Is LaVar Ball just an excited dad that’s proud of his boys? Or is he making outlandish, pretentious claims that Lonzo and his brothers will have to prove true?
The NBA draft will be held on June 22, and we’ll see then if LaVar Ball’s predictions for Lonzo come true.
Brittany Fletcher
Creative Director