If Los Angeles does end up drafting Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 pick in this month’s NBA draft, then LaVar Ball is going to have to win some people over in the Lakers community.
Hall of Famer Jerry West, who spent 40 years in the Lakers organization, joined “The Dan Patrick Show” on Thursday, and Patrick asked if he would have any trepidation about selecting Lonzo Ball because of his father. And West certainly didn’t mince words in his response.
“I really don’t want to get into that,” West said. “There’s obviously players there that — frankly, I don’t even like to talk about his dad. I’d rather talk about the kid. His dad, to me, I wouldn’t want a father like that, to be honest with you. Because I think he puts added pressure on his kid. You know he loves his kids. You know that. But this should be about his kids, not about him.”
West’s opinion isn’t unique, but it is interesting to hear from someone whom the Lakers hold in such high esteem. Ultimately, though, West doesn’t believe LaVar Ball will have much of an effect on Los Angeles’ decision to draft Lonzo Ball.
“To me, they’ve got a big decision to make,” West said. “Whether they make it because of his father being from Los Angeles and saying he wants to play here in Los Angeles, I wouldn’t let a father influence who I drafted. That would be for sure. I would want the player I felt was the best player at that position. Because when you’re drafting that position, you cannot afford to miss. You cannot afford it. … So this is imperative for them to take the right player. If that’s Lonzo Ball, they’re going to take him.”
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
