LaVar Ball had beaten the odds. The man who once averaged 2.2 points as a forward at Washington State, and spent a few years as an NFL practice squad player, finally made it big.
Ball was thrust into the spotlight when his talented trio of sons, Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball made a name for themselves by torching opposing defenses at Chino Hills High School. The Ball boys all received scholarship offers from UCLA.
Everything was going great for the Ball family. Lonzo Ball, the oldest, showed out during his freshman year for the Bruins. His impressive season led to him being drafted by his hometown Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick of the NBA Draft. LiAngelo Ball was headed to UCLA. LaMelo Ball was considered a consensus top-5 point guard in the class of 2019. The 16-year-old also became a bona fide social media star. LaVar Ball even launched a clothing and footwear line, Big Baller Brand, to put his family on the path to greatness.
The fields had been tilled. The seeds had been sown and watered. All that was left for LaVar was to sit back, kick his feet up and enjoy the harvest.
Of course, anybody who has observed LaVar Ball since he burst into the public eye knew that would be virtually impossible. The only cameras or microphones the Ball family patriarch doesn’t like are the ones which aren’t pointing in his direction.
In the beginning, Lavar Ball’s antics were mildly annoying. Once it became clear that he was the ultimate trolls, he became mildly entertaining. However, as the spotlight grew, so did his already gigantic ego. Now, he is in the habit of making decisions that will undisputedly have a negative impact on his sons.
Back in October, I detailed LaVar Ball’s decision to pull LaMelo Ball out of high school over a dispute with the school’s incoming basketball coach. Two months later, Big Baller Ego is back at it again.
Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported that LiAngelo Ball has withdrawn from UCLA at the urging of his father. Apparently LaVar Ball was upset that his son’s indefinite suspension for last month’s infamous, international shoplifting incident in China.
“He might as well be in jail,” LaVar Ball told the LA Times. “I’m not going to let UCLA take the fire out of my boy by not letting him play for two months.
Nevermind the fact that LaVar Ball didn’t care about taking the fire out of LaMelo Ball by not allowing him to play for his final two years of prep basketball. The decision to pull LaMelo Ball from UCLA makes no sense whatsoever.
After all, UCLA could’ve easily booted the three players involved in stealing once they were returned to the U.S. Various reports suggested that the players might be reinstated to the team as early as the end of Dec. 29, when conference play begins. However, neither the coaching staff, nor the school had made any public statements as to a potential timeline for reinstatement and that must have eaten away at LaVar Ball. He shown time and time again that when he doesn’t get his way, he’s not afraid to take his Ball and go home.
LiAngelo Ball’s withdrawal from UCLA likely means that LaMelo Ball will never set foot on campus. His amateur status was already in doubt when Big Baller Brand launched a signature shoe for the 16-year-old. Now, after the incessant headaches that the father brings, it would be no surprise to see UCLA remove itself from the Ball business.
What does that mean for LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball?
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported that Harrison Gaines, the Ball family’s agent, has reached out to teams in Europe and China about the possibility of signing LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball to professional contracts.
I’d have to imagine that the possibility of the younger two Ball boys playing professionally in Europe must be music to Magic Johnson’s ears. The Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations should be ecstatic at the idea of LaVar Ball flying halfway across the globe.
Earlier this week, the Lakers began enforcing what many are referring to as the “LaVar Ball rule.” The rule forbids media from conducting interviews in or near the section reserved for family members and associates of Lakers players. The policy has been in effect for years, but was never strictly enforced by the time until recently.
I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that the Lakers decided to enforce the rule after a string of criticisms directed at the team by LaVar Ball.
In early November, LaVar Ball criticized the Lakers coaching staff in an interview with The Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.
“They’re soft. They don’t know how to coach my son. I know how to coach him,” LaVar Ball said. “I tell him to go get the victory. Stop messing around.”
This week, the father went on Sirus XM’s NBA Radio and stated, “”[Lonzo’s] disgusted. He’s not used to losing like this. The Lakers should build around Lonzo. Why are they sitting him down and not starting him the 4th quarter? This is why the record is raggedy.”
Let’s not even talk about the public, mind-numbing feud with the current White House occupant.
Maybe LaVar Ball can do it. Maybe he can find a way to navigate his two younger sons through an overseas basketball adventure, back to the NBA. However, it would’ve been a much easier path to sit in sunny California while LaMelo tore it up at Chino Hills, LiAngelo put up points in the Pac-10 at UCLA and Lonzo continued to flirt with triple doubles as a Los Angeles Laker. But then the cameras and the spotlight would’ve been aimed at the Ball boys and not their attention-starved dad. So instead, Lavar’s three sons will continue to have gigantic targets on their backs, while their dad sports a gigantic grin for any camera he can find.
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