After a prolonged silence with two of his sons playing exceedingly well in the NBA, LaVar Ball has re-emerged with a bombshell…kind of.
In an interview with ESPN LA on Thursday, LaVar claimed that Lonzo Ball wants out of New Orleans ahead of the March 25 trade deadline (h/t Andrew Joseph/ForTheWin).
“No! No, he can’t stay in New Orleans. Come on, man. Come on, listen. … Lonzo’s always been a playmaker. Why are you trying to change him into a defensive specialist that stays in the corner and shoots 3s? And you’re trying to change Zion and Brandon Ingram who, all through their careers, have never been playmakers. Scorers! Now you want to put the ball in their hands and be playmakers?! … Go score the ball and do what you do and guess what? They’re gonna have a hard time trying to win every game if the playmaker ain’t making the right plays.”
The caveat with LaVar at this point is that it has been a long time since he’s spoken on behalf of his two sons. Memorably, LaMelo took a hard stance against his dad during the predraft process, distancing himself from his father’s opinions.
Lonzo has not taken that stance publicly – yet – but has spoken about being in New Orleans in the future in quotes that directly contradict LaVar. Prior to the All-Star break, Ball stated that he wanted to be apart of the future with the Pelicans alongside Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.
“I love playing with those guys, and I’m also really cool with them off the floor as well. We’re all young. I think we can do some big things, especially in the future coming up.”
In reality, LaVar’s quotes from Thursday likely are how he feels about Lonzo’s situation. It ultimately likely won’t matter anyway as reports have indicated the Pelicans are focused on keeping Ball at least through the trade deadline and into restricted free agency.
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