LeBron James is not happy with LaVar Ball, father of the Ball Brothers. In fact, quite a few people are not happy with him as of late.
Ball recently made a few ill-advised statements about the fathers of several current and former players in the NBA on an episode of Chris Broussard’s “In the Zone” podcast.
“The monsters in the NBA, their dads wasn’t that good,” Ball said. “They were OK, they was players, but the fact that the old (Dell) 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,” Ball continued. “It’s going to be hard for his kids because they are going to look at them like, ‘You got to be just like your dad.’ And after a while, that pressure starts sitting on you like, ‘Why do I got to be just like him? What can’t I just be me?’ And then they are going to be like, ‘Aw, you’re soft, you’re not that good.’ Because the expectation is very, very high.”
https://youtu.be/-Ok6Les43F8
After yesterday’s shootaround, James suggested, in a rather stern manner, that Ball should mind his own business.
A little bit later that day, Ball responded to James’ comments during an interview with Fox Sports Radio. It seems the father of UCLA stand-out Lonzo Ball thinks his comments were “no big deal.”
“People are just asking me questions,” Ball explained on Tuesday broadcast of ‘The Brick.’ “I’ve been talking all my life, and now the cameras are in front of me… If you want to ask me a question, I’m going to give you an answer, because I have freedom of speech to say whatever I want. It’s just for conversation the next day.”
“I don’t care, they’re not going to stop me from doing what I’m doing. If they get a little touchy about it, who cares. They’re not gonna do nothing to me and I’m not gonna do nothing to them, it’s not a big deal.”
Ball, still feeling the right to express his freedom of speech, but off the gas a bit in closing, did mention that he doesn’t have a problem with James or his family. He says he was simply answering questions.
“I have no problem with LeBron,” Ball said. “They asked me a question about if I thought superstar players’ kids were good. My opinion is I’ve never seen one that’s been really good. LeBron is going to make his kids one of the best players ever, according to him.”
“I’ve never seen one really live up to what their dad has done, so he could be the first,” Ball continued. “It’s not about me having his kids name in my mouth, I’m not worried about his family. If somebody asks me a question I’ll answer it the way I want to answer it.”