LaVar Ball, the outspoken father of Lonzo Ball, has drawn much criticism through his outlandish comments about himself and his three sons. His oldest, Lonzo, is set to enter the NBA Draft later this month and is one of the top prospects in this draft class with many believing he will land with the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick.
One potential cloud hanging over Lonzo however, is his father. Through his antics he has portrayed a negative image of himself to many , which has led to some people making the same assumption of his son.
Current and former NBA players have made their thoughts known about LaVar and that he is putting unnecessary expectation on Lonzo. Current Golden State Warriors advisor, and Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West recently appeared on the Dan Patrick Show and spoke about his issues with the patriarch of the Ball family (transcription via Uproxx.com):
“Frankly I don’t like to talk about his dad, OK? I’d rather talk about his kid. His dad to me, I wouldn’t want a father like that to be honest with you.I think he puts a bad impression on his kid. You know he loves his kid, OK? You know that. But it should be about his kids, not him.”
There’s no question LaVar is as bizarre as he is entertaining. There is little doubt that he will play a major role in Lonzo’s professional career. Some worry his presence could cause teams to lose interest in drafting Lonzo though many front offices have already dismissed that thought process.
If Lonzo is drafted by the Lakers, which the entire Ball family is hoping for, it will be very interesting to see how LaVar’s antics will play out in the Hollywood limelight. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver believes LaVar will calm down once Lonzo is in the league, but only time will tell.