LaVar Ball has taken plenty of criticism, often warranted and occasionally unjust, for his parenting and how he raised his three sons. For as much objection as Ball has received for his loud, bold, bombastic personality that rarely takes into account the norm for how parents of standout athletes typically act, Ball has also been right.
On top of LaMelo being drafted with the No. 3 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, LiAngelo Ball’s signing with the Detroit Pistons on an Exhibit 10 contract meant all three of his sons had secured an NBA contract, proving much of LaVar’s confidence of the years as warranted.
Interestingly, one of LaVar and the family’s longest supporters has been Kevin Durant. Over the years, Durant has been a fan of Lonzo and spoken on how many kids and athletes wish they had a parent like LaVar.
On Thursday, Durant welcomed LaVar onto his podcast, The ETCs, for a chance to offer him some praise for how he raised his kids to his (virtual) face.
“Most definitely. I mean, you see so many different players and you see, you know, you hear the statistics about how hard it is to get to the NBA. And, you know, you got somebody that’s training you, that’s got knowledge on the game, know the history of the game, and constantly teaching you, you know, how to play this game, how to navigate in the life. I mean, you can only succeed no matter if you’re gonna make it to the top level of the NBA or you can be, you know, in the G league or overseas. You’re going to make some money in this game if you focus in and lock in and got somebody in your corner. So, I would I would say that’s one of the most important things, you know what I mean.”
Durant was also certain to give credit to each of the three Ball brothers for turning their raw skills into talent.
“But for for LaMelo and Gelo and Lonzo, like, they had natural talent, too, you know what I’m saying. Like, those kids, you could tell that they play, you know, they love the game and they play all day every day. Not just organized ball but with they friends outdoors dribbling a rock. I could tell that they was just students and just love to hoop.”
It wasn’t all compliments and niceties on the podcast between the two. Later on in the episode, Durant and LaVar had a back-and-forth based on the former’s belief that pressing opponents in the NBA would be a successful strategy.