LaVar Ball is back.
The loudmouthed father of Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball has been relatively quiet ever since LeBron James joined the Purple and Gold in the summer, but now that Lonzo’s name is being batted around in a potential trade for Anthony Davis, LaVar has returned to the spotlight.
LaVar already is on the record as saying he doesn’t want his son to be traded to the New Orleans Pelicans and would prefer he be dealt to the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls or New York Knicks, with the Suns leading the pack. LaVar then went on 98.7’s “Doug & Wolf” in Phoenix on Tuesday and absolutely torched Lakers head coach Luke Walton, Kyle Kuzma and James amid LA’s ongoing trade talks.
First of all, LaVar wants Lonzo to be traded to the Suns because he thinks Phoenix is such a disaster it will sign his other two sons, LiAngelo and LaMelo.
“Yes, I do. I gave the Lakers a first right of refusal,” LaVar said, as transcribed by USA TODAY’s For The Win. “I said get all three of my boys, and you got championships. They think I’m just talking. Lonzo and Gelo and Melo had the best chemistry.”
Then, LaVar came for Walton.
“He’s a better fit in Phoenix because they’ve got some young athletes,” LaVar said. “They’ve been losing. They need a winning attitude. The Lakers gave my boy that losing attitude. If you look at my boys, the one thing they do do is win … My boys don’t lose too much. When he got to the Lakers — Luke Walton was the worst coach ever for Lonzo because he had a losing mentality. They’ve been losing for three years. That’s how you develop losing.”
LaVar then made a weird threat to the Lakers.
“Hey, do what you gotta do,” he said. “Like I told them before, if you trade my son, it’ll be the worst thing you’ve ever done for your franchise. I guarantee it.”
As for the idea he has been quiet out of fear of King James? Poppycock.
“Afraid of LeBron?! I’m not afraid of Jesus,” LaVar said. “What are you talking about?”
LaVar topped it off with a grenade at Kuzma, who also reportedly is part of the package to get Davis.
“I tell you what: Lonzo makes everybody better. That’s what he’s always did all his life,” LaVar said. “You don’t even hear of Kuzma if Lonzo don’t make him in the Las Vegas Summer League. You see every time Kuzma plays by himself? Hart, Ingram by himself? They don’t get nothing. They look raggedy.”
Things seem to be going great in Southern California.
