LaVar Ball has made headlines recently with his outrageous remarks about his son and NBA personalities.
First, Ball said his son Lonzo, who is a college star out of UCLA and NBA prospect will be better than Steph Curry, then, he stated his son will definitely play for the Lakers. A couple of days later, he made the ridiculous claim he would beat NBA legend Michael Jordan in his “hey day”, then later said his son will sign a billion dollar shoe deal.
It’s safe to say Ball’s comments have been controversial, to say the least, and now he’s turned his attention to the best player in the world LeBron James, claiming James’ sons may not be as good as everyone thinks.
During a recent appearance on Fox Sports insider Chris Broussard’s podcast, Ball talked about the pressure that James’ children will undergo if they happen to make their way to the NBA, trying to reach the heights of their father. He did this by referencing past superstars whose sons haven’t lived up to expectation and success of their dads.
Here’s the thing, you gotta play the odds and the percentages,” said Ball. “There’s been a lot of great players, and all of their sons are whack.”
“Kareem’s got sons, Jordan’s got sons, Shaq’s got sons.”
— “His son is pretty good too,” said Broussard.
“His son is alright,” Ball quickly interjected. “…the monsters in the NBA, their dads wasn’t that good. They were OK, they was players, but the fact that the old Curry wasn’t no All-Star, he wasn’t cold. He could shoot the ball though. Kobe Bryant, his dad wasn’t all that, that’s why he’s such a monster.”
You got LeBron, it’s gonna be so hard for his kids, cause they gonna look at them like ‘you gotta be just like your dad. And after a while that pressure starts sitting on you like ‘why do I gotta be like him, why can’t I just be me?’ And then they’re gonna be like ‘aw, you’re soft, you’re not that good.’ Because the expectation is very, very high.”
My sons are good, they’re great,” Ball said. “But let’s say I really excelled in football and made millions of millions of dollars. Do I spent that time with them now? — No, I have to worry about the offseason and I just buy you a trainer and hope that you turn out okay. Whereas the fact that I wasn’t all that, allows me to take the time to make my boys all that.”
It’s unlikely Ball will stop making these outlandish claims, and it will be interesting to see if they continue, as the upcoming 2018 NBA draft is fast approaching with his son projected to be one of the first selected.
Ball should be careful though because annoying the wrong people in the association can be trouble. It’s clear to see James’ sons have immense talent even at their young age, and maybe James himself will have a little something extra for Ball’s son when they happen to meet on an NBA floor next season.