Category: LaVar Ball

LaVar Ball says he could beat Zion Williamson one-on-one: ‘He’s too small, he’s too slow’

In a podcast appearance on Pardon My Take, LaVar Ball said he could have taken Zion Williamson in his prime.

With the NBA and all sports across the world coming to a halt, LaVar Ball has stepped up to fill in the void in the news cycle.

Ball made his inaugural appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast on Friday and answered a wide variety of questions. One of the funnier questions that produced a very on-brand answer from Ball came when the host asked if Ball could beat Zion Williamson.

“Stop it. I’ll murder that boy. He too small…he too slow. I’m way too fast for that boy. He’s a youngster man. My prime time I would kill him. I’m way too strong and fast.”

The two went back and forth joking about the topic before the host got a bit more serious and asked if, during Ball’s time in college at Washington State, he could have handled playing against Williamson.

LaVar: “Well definitely if I had a different coach he’d be struggling against me. But with Kelvin Sampson? Oh he would kill us.
Host: “Wait, are you trying to get your former coach fired?”
LaVar: “Former coach fired? He should have been fired. After you don’t let the Big Baller play for a season? That’s when they had their worst season when I averaged 2.2 points. I only played 2.2 seconds. If I played longer, they would have been winners. But that’s on the fact that he wanted to show how tough he is and not play a stallion. You have to let a stallion loose. And that’s why their record was terrible.”

Williamson is just the latest in the number of players Ball says he can take one-on-one. Most memorably, Ball has stated on multiple occasions he could hang with and defeat Michael Jordan one-on-one.

Despite Williamson being the teammate to Lonzo, this also isn’t the first time LaVar has stated someone in the Ball family could beat him one-on-one. Last spring, LaVar proclaimed that LiAngelo would also be too strong for Williamson and could take him one-on-one.

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Big Baller Brand postpones All-American game amid coronavirus fears

Big Baller Brand announced the postponement of the second annual Big Baller Brand All-American game on Friday through its Instagram page.

Big Baller Brand announced the postponement of the second annual Big Baller Brand All-American game on Friday through its Instagram page. The caption doubled as a release from the company.

The 2020 Big Baller Brand All-American Game is postponed until further notice. The health and safety of our players and fans is of the utmost importance to us, and we will provide updates as soon as possible. We send our best wishes to all individuals and communities that have been impacted by COVID-19. God Bless.

While last year’s rosters were highlighted by LaMelo Ball, this year’s rosters also featured some standout names with six players ranked in 247Sports’ top 100 for the Class of 2020. The two top-rated prospects include Cliff Omoruyi, an uncommitted recruit ranked No. 41, and Dalen Terry, an Arizona commit ranked No. 41.

Corey Walker (No. 57, Tennessee), LJ Cryer (No. 78, Baylor), John Hugley (No. 84, Pittsburgh) and CJ Wilcher (No. 93, Xavier) all were slotted in the top 100 and were expected to participate in the contest. No venue had been listed on either the website or in the Instagram post, though last year’s contest took place in Las Vegas.

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LaVar Ball says Big Baller Brand will looks to sign other players in future

Big Baller Brand could be looking to expand in the coming months and years, though it could come with some complications.

LaVar Ball’s relaunch of Big Baller Brand came with a noticeable lack of LaMelo and Lonzo Ball. The two most profitable and recognizable Ball brothers weren’t featured in any of the promotional photos on the website nor were they modeling any clothes.

Only Lonzo’s ZO2.19 shoes, the latter of his two exclusive shoes, were being sold. None of LaMelo’s MB1s, though, were featured on the site at the time of launch. Neither player has committed to the future of the brand.

With that in mind, it’s not much of a surprise that LaVar recently stated the company could start looking outside the family for athletes to sign with the brand during an interview with Forbes.

“In the future, I’m going to find some other players. I’m looking at Big Baller Brand like this, I don’t say one of the biggest brands, I say the biggest brand. Like I said, we’ve been here for almost three years now and check this out – I think the young players and young people are looking for a new brand. The other brands have been around for a long time. Now the Big Baller Brand is coming during this social media era. That’s going to make us successful.”

There are multiple problems with LaVar’s plan. As we found out during the initial report of Alan Foster’s alleged embezzlement of Lonzo Ball, it is actually Lonzo who owns a majority share of the company. He would likely need to sign off on any venture of signing an athlete, though there could be some complications with a player owning a brand that also signs an athlete.

But Lonzo is also financially supporting the company as is right now. Signing another player would likely involve another form of a cash infusion from Lonzo. There’s a lot of hurdles to clear that involve a lot more people than just LaVar.

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LaVar Ball says New York Knicks are best fit for LaMelo Ball

During an appearance on The Undisputed, LaVar Ball said the New York Knicks would be the best landing spot for LaMelo Ball.

As the NBA season draws to a close, LaMelo Ball’s next destination becomes increasingly clearer. Golden State remains the clear favorite to land the No. 1 spot in the draft lottery while Cleveland, Atlanta and New York are fighting for the next three spots.

Given the current roster makeup of those bottom four teams, the best natural fit would be the New York Knicks. It’s a team that Lonzo Ball said would be a great fit for LaMelo and a team that LaVar seconds that opinion on.

During an appearance on The Undisputed last week, LaVar was asked about what spot would be the best fit for LaMelo in the 2020 NBA Draft.

“The best fit in my eyes is New York. The New York Knicks. Because I know Melo. Melo is a big city guy. He likes lights. He likes that. He’d love it. Everybody talking about the city type of thing. Cleveland, he already lived in Cleveland. He don’t like that cold weather like that, especially if you aren’t going to be inside with a lot of bright lights.

“I think it’s about time for New York. I kind of feel they’re going to be the first pick on the fact that they missed it so many times and it’s time for something good to happen to them. New York would be great for him.”

Interestingly, the Knicks are one of the teams that did not get a chance to scout Ball in Australia prior to his season coming to an end. With a front office in upheaval as Leon Rose has just taken over, it’s not surprising Ball was not scouted.

But Rose’s connection makes another intriguing storyline with his connections with Creative Artists Agency, the agency the Ball brothers used prior to their recent departure.

This isn’t the first time LaVar has mentioned his desire for LaMelo to land in New York. During a TMZ Live appearance, LaVar stated that his dream scenario would be all three Ball brothers landing on the Knicks while being coached by Mark Jackson. It’s an odd dream scenario, but it’s yet another link between LaMelo and the Knicks.

LaVar Ball says LeBron James should win MVP award this season

LaVar Ball recently took the chance to proclaim LeBron James as the MVP of the league while also taking a swipe at the rest of the Lakers.

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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Lonzo Ball reportedly leaving Creative Arts Agency

Lonzo Ball is leaving Creative Arts Agency and will be heading to his third agency in just three NBA seasons.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Melissa Rohlin, New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball is leaving Creative Arts Agency (where he was represented by Steven Heumann and Aaron Mintz).

Where Ball will he signing with isn’t known but, in just three NBA seasons, the California native will now be on his third agency. Ball was formerly represented by Harrison Gaines of SPLASH Sports & Entertainment but parted ways with the agent during his dramatic and well-publicized breakup with Big Baller Brand.

Considering his father LaVar’s desire to re-launch Big Baller Brand, one has to wonder if BBB is on Ball’s mind again. With the 22-year-old covering up his BBB tattoo and suing former co-founder Alan Foster for embezzlement, that seems unlikely.

However, the pressure put on by his father and his sweet talk may be enough to have Ball reconsidering his stance.

LaVar Ball says Lakers would lose in playoff series against Pelicans

LaVar Ball took a chance to make yet another outlandish prediction on Tuesday, forecasting a Pelicans playoff series win over the Lakers.

In recent weeks, the Pelicans and Lakers have offered a potential playoff series preview with a pair of high-intensity games. While the Pelicans currently aren’t in the playoffs in the Western Conference, New Orleans has reeled in the Memphis Grizzlies in the last month and sit just 3.5 games back of the eighth seed.

Many expect the Pelicans, who have the easiest remaining strength of schedule, to catch the Grizzlies, who have the third-hardest remaining strength of schedule, and make the playoffs. Amongst those is LaVar Ball, the outspoken father of Pelican point guard Lonzo.

In an appearance on FS1’s Undisputed, LaVar not only guaranteed the Pelicans would make the playoffs but also said New Orleans would beat the Lakers in a playoff series.

“The Lakers will lose. That’s what I said. And let me tell you why. You got my son in a different mode. You never seen him in playoff mode. And you ain’t ever seen him in revenge mode. Don’t you activate Zo with all them scorers.”

New Orleans has lost all four meetings to the Lakers this season. The first two meetings came in the pre-Zion portion of the Pelicans’ schedule and featured huge games from Anthony Davis. The two most recent meetings spanned six days and saw LeBron James put big performances together in both.

That hasn’t deterred Ball from predicting an upset as he expects his son and the Pelicans to take it up a notch in the postseason.

“I see it all playing out perfectly where the Lakers got to keep beating up all on the Pelicans when it don’t count and when all the marbles on the table, things going to change. We going to send you home early. And you know what my son’s going to be known for? Upsetting the Lakers.

“You know how you play those teams and the team is sorry as heck and they play one good series and they don’t even care about the championship as long as they beat that one team. That’s the motto.”

Ignoring the part where Ball alluded to the Pelicans being a “sorry” team, it’s a typical brash prediction from Ball. During the segment, he also noted that he would send double teams at both James and Davis to wear them down and live with the results.

“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.”

In predicting a playoff series win for the Pelicans, a good bit of ignoring results from the regular season would be required. It’s also all a bit premature as the Pelicans aren’t yet a playoff team and will have a battle in the final weeks of the season to earn the eighth seed.

Do you agree with LaVar about how a playoff series would play out? Let us know down below!

LaVar Ball says new Big Baller Brand will be ‘bigger and better’ after relaunch

During a recent appearance on TMZ Live, LaVar Ball talked about the recent Big Baller Brand relaunch, saying the brand has improved.

After a rocky 2019, LaVar Ball relaunched Big Baller Brand in 2020 hoping to recapture some of the buzz that once surrounded the company. After some soft relaunches and pop-up shops in Australia, the company’s website went live once again earlier this month with a heavy dose of LiAngelo and LaVar on the site.

During a recent appearance on TMZ Live, Ball talked about the recent relaunch, saying the brand has improved.

“It’s going to be bigger and better. I’m just like any other business, man. Once you start off, you going to start off at a certain plateau. And like everybody likes to always say ‘Oh he has some bumps and bruises.’ I (don’t) have bumps and bruises. It’s just somebody did something bad within the company. But the Big Baller Brand is a family brand and we’re just going to keep going forward.

“What’s going to be different is the design, the people I have around me. I learned a lot of different things (about) having publicist and everything.”

Ball continues to minimize the fact his son had millions of dollars embezzled from him by a man he brought into the fold. The matter is still up in the air and, for whatever it’s worth, Ball himself was accused by Alan Foster to have had a hand in embezzling those funds.

Also calling Big Baller Brand a family brand is a bit disingenuous as the two most famous sons, LaMelo and Lonzo, continue to remain distanced from the brand. In the same TMZ interview, LaVar noted that he’s unsure if LaMelo will suit up in Big Baller Brand gear once he reaches the NBA.

LaVar Ball says he has no regrets on handling of LaMelo Ball’s childhood

LaVar Ball recently talked about his decision to pull LaMelo out of high school and whether he regrets that choice.

LaMelo Ball’s path as an amateur has been as unique and extraordinary as any prospect before him. Multiple overseas stops, stints with three different professional leagues and a spell with a high school team mixed in has had Ball constantly on the move since withdrawing from Chino Hills.

Many have criticized LaVar for his handling of LaMelo’s career path. LaVar was recently confronted about his decisions for LaMelo and whether he had any regrets. In typical LaVar fashion, a spirited denial followed.

From Wide World of Sports:

“A guy asked me today, don’t you regret Melo’s childhood? How do you regret someone’s childhood, if you get to do something you have a passion for, you get paid, you get whatever you want and your family is still around you. I’m trying to figure out, where is the bad part? People also like to say, he didn’t have a great childhood because his dad is snatching him and doing this.

“So, all his friends who went to the movies and went to amusement parks and the proms, aren’t driving around in Lamborghinis or G-Wagons at the age he’s doing. Because I tell him this, ‘you’re going to work hard.’ It’s just a matter of when you do it. You’re either going to have fun at the beginning or bust your ass to make ends meet and find a job.”

It’s a remarkably, yet fittingly, obtuse comment from LaVar. It’s not the first time he’s talked about LaMelo’s upbringing in this matter. In each instance, LaVar has showcased an apparent lack of even basic understanding of why his decisions could have impacted his son.

On the court, LaMelo went from not playing in Lithuania to playing a league well below his talent level in the Junior Basketball Association. The best thing to happen to Ball was a return to the states with SPIRE Academy and connecting with Jermaine Jackson. It was Jackson, a former professional himself, that helped right Ball’s career.

Off the court, it’s not normal for a teenager to be ripped out of high school and tour the world in the nature he did.

LaMelo becoming a legitimate NBA prospect likely happened in spite of LaVar’s choices in recent years.

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Metta World Peace campaigns for LaVar Ball to be NBA head coach

During a roundtable interview with TMZ, Metta World Peace made the case for LaVar Ball as a potential future NBA coach.

While LaVar Ball has never shied away from outlandish statements, one of the things he hasn’t done much of is campaign for a job as an NBA head coach. Ball memorably served as the AAU coach for his sons, which was detailed in early seasons of the family’s Facebook series “Ball in the Family.”

But Ball’s coaching stopped there and save for a few brief outbursts, he hasn’t often put his name in the mix as a coach. But a man with a similarly wild streak did the bidding for him. In a recent roundtable conversation with TMZ, former Laker Metta World Peace made the case for Ball as an NBA head coach.

“I was actually pushing for you to be a head coach. When you run a business…you have a good team. I feel like your energy would have rubbed off on everyone. You just have somebody do the defense, have a couple assistants, boom. I thought you would have been a great head coach. I would want to see that someday, actually.”

Ball, who was beaming from ear to ear as World Peace talked, stated he would be the first coach to press during NBA games.

Ignoring the factuality of Ball’s statement, or basically any part of World Peace’s comments, Ball’s philosophy has always been the same as a coach. He believes in outscoring other teams, defense be damned. He’ll press teams while gambling for turnovers and to up the pace but won’t have any other plans defensively.

Essentially, none of this would work in the NBA. Ball may have the energy to be the coach, but he doesn’t have literally any other requirement. It’s a silly premise.

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