LaVar Ball has been critical of the Lakers coaching staff, but head coach Luke Walton doesn’t seem to care about what he has to say.
Ball recently appeared on SiriusXM NBA Radio and criticized the Lakers coaches for how they’ve managed his son Lonzo’s fourth-quarter minutes during games this season. Papa Ball also said he knows how to coach the rookie point guard, while Walton, on the other hand, does not.
Walton spoke to reporters on Friday, and said he’s not interested in what the Big Baller Brand founder has to say. The Lakers head coach also seemed to marginalize Ball, in referring to him as a parent.
“We don’t take parents’ opinions into our coaching decisions and how we’re trying to grow as a group,” Walton said, via Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. “The relationship with Lonzo means a lot to me, so I stay in constant contact with him and how he’s doing.
“But as far as other people’s thoughts on what we should do, I don’t concern myself with those.”
Walton may not care about what Ball has to say, but the team does appear to be doing what it can to minimize his communication with the media. The Lakers announced they are now enforcing an existing policy that prohibits media members from going to the section of Staples Center that is designated for family and associates of players during games, which appeared to be their reaction to Ball speaking to reporters about the team. Many employees at Staples Center have even labeled it the “LaVar Ball rule.”
Still, it doesn’t appear that the new rule will silence Ball, as he had this to say about it.
“It’s a good rule but I ain’t gonna never shut up, so we’ll see if the rule works or not,” Ball said, during the SiriusXM NBA Radio appearance earlier in the week.
Papa Ball may continue to run his mouth, but the Lakers coaching staff won’t pay any mind to what he has to say, and it won’t affect how they coach Lonzo.
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