For many athletic and basketball-playing teenagers and children during the late 2010’s, the last name Ball rings some bells. Whether they recognize it from the enigmatic businessman, Lavar Ball, or from his children and source of fame: Lonzo, Liangelo, and Lamelo Ball, this family had a chokehold on sports and basketball media from 2016 to 2020. Youtube, sports talk shows, and the show, “Ball in the Family”, bolstered the popularity of the Balls.
Lavar Ball has been somewhat of a controversial figure, though his entertaining qualities are undeniable. His parenting strategies no doubt questionable, Ball’s interactions with media historically came off as brazen, rude, and almost insane, and his business dealings were downright ridiculous. Though his sons were the star of the show, he seemed to be the center of attention. At one point Ball told ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith that he would have “killed Michael Jordan one-on-one” in his heyday. (Ball only played two seasons of college basketball, averaging 2.2 points per game). However, the extreme confidence he displayed wasn’t exclusively in himself. Ball claimed to NBA media that Lonzo Ball (at the time a rookie) was better than Stephen Curry, Lebron James and Russell Westbrook. His brand, named Big Baller Brand, attempted to introduce a signature sneaker for Lonzo and priced it at almost $500. When backlash on the pricing began on social media, Lavar tweeted “If you can’t afford the ZO2’S, you’re NOT a BIG BALLER!”
Until recently, it seemed the Ball “experiment” had failed. Lonzo made it to the NBA, but had significant injury problems and had not yet reached the heights intended for him by his father. Liangelo, the middle son, had been arrested in China for shoplifting in 2017 before his freshman season at UCLA. This led to his departure from the team and a feud between his father and Donald Trump. Lavar refused to accredit his son’s homecoming from Chinese detainment to President Trump. Liangelo would never make an NBA roster. Lamelo was a bright spot among the three sons, and the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but had yet to achieve superstar status in the league.
This all seemed to change in recent months. Lonzo has recovered from injury and is showing signs of progression in his game. Lamelo has just won the All-Star fan vote, despite not making the All-Star team, with almost two million votes. Most surprising of all, Liangelo has just gone viral for his new song “Tweaker.” This overnight success resulted in a $13 million contract with Def Jam and Universal Music Group
Maybe Lavar did nurture three stars; maybe the experiment wasn’t a failure, but a success. Only time will tell the trajectory of the family, but it’s safe to say that things currently are looking up. Whether or not Lavar Ball is respected as a person, businessman, or father, it is difficult to deny his success- he has always believed in his children, and made decisions with their happiness and futures in mind.
