Photo Credit: The Hoops Column
LaVar Ball had a real decent name for himself becoming successful and producing three young men with amazing basketball skills. Ball has since become known as the loud-mouthed sports dad with his outrageous claims. While it’s GREAT to see a father believe in his sons, Ball has gone off the deep end now saying he could’ve beat Michael Jordan back in his heyday.
During an interview with USA Today, Ball made the outlandish claim.
“Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one,’’ said Ball, the 49-year-old basketball dad who is 6-6 and 270 pounds and has a mouth to match his size.
“I would just back (Jordan) in and lift him off the ground and call a foul every time he fouls me when I do a jump hook to the right or the left,” Ball said. “He cannot stop me one-on-one. He better make every shot ’cause he can’t go around me. He’s not fast enough. And he can only make so many shots outside before I make every bucket under the rim.”
USA Today was also kind enough to add:
Ball played basketball for Washington State during the 1987-88 season and averaged 2.2 points, 2.3 rebounds a game before transferring to Cal-State Los Angeles in search of more playing time. Jordan, meanwhile, averaged 35 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Chicago Bulls that same season and is widely regarded as the greatest player in basketball history.
TMZ Sports spoke with Ball’s old teammate Brian Quinnett, a forward on the 1987-88 Washington State team LaVar played on for one year and asked him if there’s any truth to Ball’s big-time assertion.
“It’s laughable. The stats speak for themselves.”
The 6’8″ Quinnett knows all about having to guard Michael Jordan, telling TMZ he did just that as a member of the Knicks back in the early 90’s, and well it didn’t work out well.
“He basically called for a clear out, took the ball and dunked on my head.”
We didn’t really need to hear from anyone else but just in case anyone thought by some miracle Ball could’ve pulled it off.
