Unsurprisingly, LaVar Ball has had little positive to say about the Los Angeles Lakers since the franchise dealt away Lonzo Ball. Even during Lonzo’s time with the Lakers, LaVar was erratic in both praising and criticizing the franchise.
Not a fan of Luke Walton, LaVar claimed he had lost the locker room and blamed him for ruining his son even prior to Lonzo being traded.
It should come as a surprise, then, that LaVar had something positive to say about the current Lakers, even if it came with a backhanded compliment. During his appearance on The Undisputed, Ball stated that LeBron James should be the MVP this season.
“LeBron should be MVP because they’re not going to do nothing without him. Take him out of the equation, that’s a wrap. He’s still strong. He’s still fast. Look what he’s doing, man.”
LaVar does make a fair point in the Lakers heavily relying on James. The on-off numbers for James with the Lakers this season have largely showcased his importance to the purple and gold. James holds the second-best net rating on the Lakers at 10.4 and is the only Laker with a negative net rating off the court at -1.0.
But it’s more likely that LaVar wasn’t taking that approach and instead using the opportunity to take a swipe at the majority of the other Lakers. Ball also discussed playing the Lakers in a playoff series and used it as another chance to swipe at the non-James and Anthony Davis players on the roster.
“I could beat the Lakers easy because I’m going to double team him and AD the whole game. I don’t care what Kuzma or anybody else do. They’re going to be so tired. LeBron, he’s going to back it in, he’s stronger. And don’t let him get to shooting those threes, too. It’s a wrap then.”
LaVar will likely continue to hold resentment against the franchise as he’s never been one to take the high road and let bygones be bygones. For now, he should likely focus less on the Lakers and more on his son’s Pelicans and their playoff hopes.
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