LaVar Ball has accomplished something that no one else has, and that is enough to make any parent proud. All three of his sons – LaMelo, LiAngelo and Lonzo – are all NBA stars now, and the elder Ball is ecstatic with what they’ve accomplished. However, there’s something else that would make it even better, although it would be more difficult to accomplish than getting his three boys into the league. Next, LaVar would like to be an NBA coach and, if he’s allowed to take his dream to the next level, it would be to have all three of his sons on the same team with him.
Ball is a former basketball player who also dabbled in football. He helped coach his sons in their younger years, a role that may have helped mold them to become the stars they are today. He knew what was at stake then and recently told Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez on The ETCs podcast, “So they always played up. So, even though they were big for their age, they were always playing guard spots. When they were in junior high, we were playing high school teams. People were always mad at me because they were like, ‘LaVar, you don’t take them to these games, tournaments and all this. You only stay in Ontario, in Chino Hills, and Anaheim.’ I said, ‘Let me tell you this: the best 10U, 11U team cannot beat the worst 16U team. These boys are faster. Even if they can’t play a lick, they’re faster and stronger.’”
LaVar on Lonzo
Lonzo Ball turned into a key part of the New Orleans Pelicans bench when he was picked up by the team. He would go on to run the Pels’ offense full-time, thanks to coach Stan Van Gundy after Jrue Holiday headed off to the Milwaukee Bucks. LaVar said of Lonzo’s success, “I’m going to see. I like the situation that he’s in right now. The best situation is him and his brothers. At least what’s different is Lonzo is going to do way better this year on the fact that he’s healthy, but the mindset of Stan is like, ‘Zo, the ball is in your hand.’ Let me get Drew out. Let me let Zion play the game. The first thing they said right now, ‘He ain’t on no restriction.’ You take away his best piece in the bubble and expect him to do good? Man, that’s like taking your best wing man and being like, ‘Ah, I don’t want you to do too good. Pull him on out of here. 10, 15 minutes, that’s good. Don’t keep throwing it to him.'”
How about LaMelo
LaMelo is just now coming into the NBA and will have to prove himself this year. He was picked up by the Charlotte Hornets – the third overall pick in the draft – and is prepared to make a name for himself so he doesn’t get lost under Lonzo’s shadow. LeVar said during the podcast that he supports his son as he learns to make his own decisions on how to get started in the league, a hands-off approach that is probably responsible for all of his sons’ ability to take charge and be the independent athletes they are.
And LiAngelo?
LiAngelo is making an effort to find a place in the NBA, even if the road hasn’t been an easy one. He wanted to enter the NBA Draft in 2018, but had yet to develop the skills most teams wanted to see. He ended up playing in Europe and finally made his way to the NBA when the Detroit Pistons signed him to their training camp at the beginning of this month. However, that was short-lived, as the team dropped him a few days ago. LiAngelo also had a little legal trouble in China that could have prevented him from entering the league earlier, but he should be expected to find a home in the NBA in the next couple of years.
The legal trouble kept him out of the lottery in 2018 and LeVon thinks things would have gone a lot differently had it not been for that little bit of drama. He explained, “He would have been in the [NCAA] tournament. This is how things would have [gone]: He would have [gone] past the Sweet 16, now you better than them. [He would have] been a top-10 pick at the shooting guard because he would have been lighting that three-pointer up. I mean, if you can take [Miami Heat guard] Tyler Herro, you can take my damn son.”
As far as seeing LiAngelo in the NBA along with his brothers, and all three playing on the same team, LeVar insists it’s in the cards. He’s made that prediction for years and still expects to see it happen.
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