The Lakers have had enough of LaVar Ball’s criticism of Luke Walton and the team’s coaching staff, it seems.
Ball recently had a meeting with Lakers team president Earvin “Magic” Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka, during which he was reportedly asked to “tone down” his public criticism of Walton, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
In speaking to Shelburne, Ball confirmed that the meeting took place, and added that he was just trying to do what was best for his son, Lonzo.
“It was the best thing, man,” he said. “Everybody’s going to try to make it an ego thing, like I’m trying to tell them what to do, or they’re trying to tell me to tone it down. It’s not about that. It’s about coming together and to get a solution to this problem.”
Ball continued:
“It may sound crazy to other people, but I really just want the best for Lonzo, and the best for Lonzo is going to be what’s best for the organization,” he said. “Because if everybody winning, we good.”
Ball, earlier in the month, made an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio and criticized Walton and the team’s coaching staff over what he believed was a mismanagement of Lonzo’s minutes in the fourth quarters of games. Papa Ball also stated that he knows how to coach Lonzo, while Walton does not. The Lakers head coach responded by saying he wasn’t concerned with what Ball had to say, but the Lakers front office apparently wanted to put the fire out before it began spreading, which is certainly understandable.
It didn’t take the Lakers long to take a stand. Lonzo has only played in 25 games, and the team has already attempted to quiet his father down with a face-to-face meeting, in addition to putting a “LaVar Ball rule” in place to minimize his communication with the media during games.
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