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LaVar Ball has been saying some pretty outlandish things regarding not only himself but his kids as well. The father of UCLA standout, Lonzo Ball, as well as two younger sons who are also committed to UCLA, has said that Lonzo is better than Steph Curry, has claimed that his sons will get a $1 billion dollar sneaker deal and has even said that he personally was better than Michael Jordan back in the day and he was dead serious.
All the talking has made folks in the media, as well as the NBA, wonder if he is going to be a problem parent and a distraction. Charles Barkley has been very critical of LaVar, which led to a back and forth between the two men as well and now Steve Kerr is also speaking out about the damage LaVar may be doing.
Kerr made an appearance on ESPN radio, where he said “The fact that everybody keeps talking about him, he seems to be accomplishing whatever he’s trying to accomplish, because the things he says are so outlandish. But he keeps getting headlines, and I guess that’s what he wants,” Kerr said.
“I don’t think it’s helping his kids. I think it’d be better for them if they can just play and have fun and not have to hear that every day, but whatever. It’s all part of him.”
It pretty much sounds similar to the things Barkley said. “Your son’s life is his life, it’s not yours,” Barkley said. “No matter what his son accomplished, it’s not his. So I wish his son nothing but the best, kid’s a hell of a player. But I don’t like when parents interject.”
It’s all good and makes perfect sense to be a very supportive father but the constant remarks from LaVar definitely reek of a man who wants to be a star himself. He is talking all this nonsense but what happens if Lonzo is just an average NBA player? What happens if his two younger sons aren’t even stars in college, let alone the NBA. There is alot that can happen over the years and LaVar is putting immense pressure on himself and sons.
For what it’s worth, none of the talk from LaVar seems to bother Lonzo or the younger brothers. ”He’s been like that my whole life. It’s nothing new to me,” he said. ”He’s got a camera in front of his face now so y’all are seeing it for the first time. … He’s never going to change for the cameras. He’s been the same his whole life.”
That’s all fine and dandy but Lonzo, as well as his brothers, have never had all this media attention with the entire country looking on. It’s alot different when your father is always running his mouth for millions of people to hear, rather than hundreds locally.
Written by @IamJoeSports
H/t The Score
