It was only a matter of time before LaVar Ball made his way back into the spotlight with a ridiculous take.
It’s been a relatively quiet past few months in terms of Ball’s outlandishness, but LaVar made his triumphant return to lunacy during an interview with ESPN’s Marcellus Wiley and Travis Rodgers.
During the radio appearance, Ball was asked his opinion on the idea of his son, Lonzo Ball, being traded in a deal for Kawhi Leonard. LaVar, predictably, wouldn’t even entertain the thought.
“Stop it. Stop it. I’m gonna tell you why (that won’t happen),” LaVar Ball said, as transcribed by ForTheWin. “You know what Lonzo is to me? Gelo is my pretty boy. This (LaMelo) is my wow boy. But Zo is the people’s choice. They won’t let it happen. You can’t get rid of Zo! He’s the people’s choice.
“Everybody on the outside can say what they want, but when you put it down on paper, the Ball boys are good for business.”
If that wasn’t enough, LaVar doubled down by firmly stating his belief that Leonard isn’t as good of a player as his son.
“Stop it! … Hell no. Lonzo, I’m gonna tell you what he does, makes everyone on the team better,” LaVar Ball said. “Who don’t want to start a team with that? You put Kawhi on there, he won’t make everyone better. He’s gonna do his thing. He’s a specialty guy.”
Over the course of seven NBA seasons, including his injury-riddled 2017-18 campaign, Leonard’s résumé includes an NBA championship, a Finals MVP award, two Defensive Player of the Year awards and two All-Star appearances. While Lonzo only has one season of league experience, it’s difficult to envision him becoming as dominant of a two-way player as Leonard.
It’s tough to blame LaVar for trying to hype up his son, but at some point, you just have to be a realist.
