Regardless of whether or not you follow sports, you likely have heard of LaVar Ball and his sons: Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo. On the odd chance you haven't here's a decent summary of LaVar:
While there is, or at least was, an argument that LaVar is a marketing genius, alongside being kind of crazy, one thing nobody could disagree with is that his strategy is the following: say ridiculous things about either himself or his sons, take swipes at famous personalities or athletes, or generally just say things that make people upset. While this may seem counterproductive, and in some ways is, it's genius, because networks like ESPN that are in trouble and need more viewers will eat anything up that involves hot takes and conflict, regardless of the actual production value. Putting an AAU dad on TV every other week? That's nothing to them.
The big criticism of LaVar is that he's putting a target on the back of his kids, giving them attention that you aren't used to when you go into the NBA or into college, or into any given shoe store. And while the media blows everything out of proportion nowadays, interactions like this aren't exactly helping his or his sons' public image:
One could argue that it worked out, as his son Lonzo ended up as the #2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft going to his hometown LA Lakers, which LaVar did predict by the way. It all looked like roses, as Lonzo would help lead his hometown team, with a role model in legendary point guard Magic Johnson, back to respectability.
And then the games started, and this happened:
Lonzo didn't play well that night, but of course, LaVar was there- on ESPN of course- to talk some crap:
It hasn't gotten better since then, as Lonzo has opened up shooting 29.2% from the field. According to ESPN, that puts Ball as the 385th best shooter in the league, which even considering the concerns about his shot, is astounding seeing how there is only 360 players who are active for each team at once, and 450 in the league in general. It hasn't been good, and to be frank, it's made him an easy target:
In addition to this, it also doesn't help that LaVar is already criticizing head coach Luke Walton and the Lakers organization- something they should've seen coming mind you- and calling out Magic Johnson, which is generally not a good idea. While that was happening, LaVar elected to pull the youngest of the 3 kids out of high school to homeschool him, and in addition to that, create a shoe for him that regardless of whether it sells, could jeopardize his kid's future. Speaking of the future, the middle child- LiAngelo- may spend up to a few years in Chinese prison (unlikely, and along with a few other teammates) after trying to allegedly steal items from a Louis Vuitton store. On the other hand, according to Tracy McGrady, ESPN commentator and NBA Hall of Famer, those two kids aren't that good anyway:
Of course, we have no idea of whether or not they are good, but thanks to the events of the last few months- some of which you could fault LaVar for- we may never even know.
In other words, just based on the mere fact that his other brothers both may never get to play at the NCAA level, let alone the NBA level, let alone playing for the Lakers, there is a chance that Lonzo is the only Ball brother to make the NBA. As I stated earlier, it isn't going particularly well, but to blame him for this is ridiculous. First off, it's a small sample size, and Lonzo could very well improve drastically and become the franchise player people think he is. One thing needs to change, and it isn't Lonzo, who frankly, I have a lot of respect for in regards to how he handles his family's business.
The way I was raised, as I'm sure is the case for many others, was to keep family business as family business. Thanks to LaVar's big mouth, that isn't the case anymore, as now we have major networks talking about how a bench player on UCLA got arrested for shoplifting. Need any proof? Outside of those who follow basketball like a religion, I doubt you could find many who could name the other kids who got arrested in China along with LiAngelo, despite being in the same amount of trouble and in the same circumstances (as far as we know up to this point).
Being a kid who is about to enter the professional world, I'm not gonna lie, it makes you anxious, as I'm sure is the case for most people who don't know what their future is. Now imagine doing this, but only one year out of high school, with a large audience there to critique your struggles and successes (mostly the former at this point), and with you having to answer for your big-mouthed father, who based on the way he talks about his family, saying things like he "picked out" his wife, views you as a money-maker, not a son. Not saying that's the truth, but it's easy to look at it that way.
Anyways, LaVar, I have a lot of respect for what you've done for your kids, Lonzo particularly. I have no idea what it means to be a father, and can't imagine what that is like, but in the best interests of you kids, please, just shut your yap:
