LaVar Ball has been more than happy to blast the Los Angeles Lakers since his son, Lonzo, was drafted by the team No. 2 overall in June, but now the Lakers are trying to put a stop to it.
The Lakers reportedly held a meeting asking Ball to not so openly criticize the organization — namely head coach Luke Walton — according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson, as well as general manager Rob Pelinka were involved in the meeting, according to Shelburne, and when asked by ESPN about the sit-down, Ball didn’t shy away from discussing it.
“It was the best thing, man,” Ball 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.
“It may sound crazy to other people,” he continued, “But I really just want the best for Lonzo, and the best for Lonzo is going to be what’s best for the organization. Because if everybody winning, we good.”
LaVar most recently blasted the Lakers for how they had used his son, claiming that Lonzo’s calf stiffness was the product of Walton playing him too sporadically. He also thought Lonzo should have been playing every minute of fourth quarters.
Walton clearly had enough and noted that the Lakers aren’t letting parents make the coaching decisions.
The elder Ball is so outspoken that it’s hard to imagine this issue is far from over, but maybe banishing him to Lithuania for a period of time will at least be a start.
