Tag: LaVar Ball

LaVar Ball blamed LaMelo’s injury problems with the Hornets on Puma’s ‘raggedy shoes’

LaVar is back like he never left.

It’s wild that LaVar Ball was seemingly everywhere back in 2017 and 2018. But I must give him credit — he’s basically avoided the spotlight and controversy since his sons, Lonzo and LaMelo, reached the NBA.

But the outspoken basketball dad could only stay silent for so long. And as both Lonzo and LaMelo have seen promising NBA careers plagued with injury problems, LaVar has taken aim at LaMelo’s shoe supplier, Puma.

In an interview with CBS Sports, LaVar voiced his frustrations with both NBA conditioning programs and the quality of Puma’s basketball shoes. He said via CBS Sports:

“They’ve been trained hard enough? No, no, no,” he says. “Because you condition your body for running and jumping. You’ve got to condition your legs. So that’s why I always have my boys in them hills and running hard in them hills. That will make you run like a deer when you get on that court, so you won’t be getting hurt. A lot of things have to do with them raggedy shoes that Melo be wearing. Them shoes are not made the right way for him. That’s why he keeps tweaking his ankle every single time.”

Lonzo has not appeared in an NBA game since January of 2022 as he’s dealt with chronic knee issues. Lonzo, of course, started his career with a Big Baller Brand signature shoe before distancing himself from the brand amid controversy. LaMelo signed a 10-year deal with Puma in 2020 rumored to be worth $100 million. And despite his All-Star play when available, LaMelo will end his 2023-24 season with just 22 games played and 36 last season.

LaVar Ball says son LaMelo will never play for the Lakers

LaVar Ball, the shameless and loquacious father of former Laker Lonzo Ball, made it clear he doesn’t want LaMelo Ball to come to L.A.

When the Los Angeles Lakers took Lonzo Ball with the second pick in the 2017 NBA draft, there was a massive amount of hype around him. Some fell for the hype, thinking Ball would become the next Lakers superstar.

That hype, of course, came from his father, LaVar Ball, who famously claimed Lonzo Ball was better than Stephen Curry, who was already a two-time league MVP and champion at that time.

The younger ball Ball didn’t pan out. After two disappointing seasons in L.A., the team shipped him out in the Anthony Davis trade. Since then, the younger Ball has improved his 3-point shooting, but the rest of his game hasn’t grown, and he has struggled to stay healthy.

The elder Ball once said he wanted all three of his sons — Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo — to play for the Lakers. Now it appears he’d prefer that none of them suit up for the Purple and Gold.

Via Complex.com:

“Common sense would tell you, hell no,” the elder Ball responded when asked if he would want LaMelo Ball to play for the Lakers. “You did something to my boy Lonzo, and you think I’m going to come back with the others? I gotta be stone-cold crazy.”

The Lakers are obviously canvassing the league for trade options, and LaMelo Ball’s Charlotte Hornets have been rumored to be a potential trade partner. However, logic would suggest there is no chance the Hornets would get rid of him, as he’s their best player and possibly a superstar in the making.

The Lakers will get a close look at him when they host Charlotte on Friday evening.

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LiAngelo Ball signs with Hornets, but will he ever actually make his NBA debut?

LiAngelo shot less than 20% on 3-pointers in NBA 2K23 Summer League.

The Hornets have reportedly signed LiAngelo Ball to a non-guaranteed deal, and he will be on their training camp roster.

LiAngelo, whose older brother is Bulls guard Lonzo and whose younger brother is Hornets guard LaMelo, went undrafted in 2018. The 6-foot-5 guard has previously had opportunities with the Pistons and the Thunder, but he has still yet to appear on the court during an NBA game.

Last season, LiAngelo played fairly well for the Hornets during Las Vegas summer league. He shot 34.5% on 3-pointers, averaging 12 attempts per 36 minutes, and he signed a contract with the franchise. He reported to camp, but he was waived the next day.

Charlotte’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, selected LiAngelo in the 2021 NBA G League Draft. He played 28 games last season, including 6 in the starting lineup. He averaged 4.5 points and 0.2 assists per game.

LaMelo described how it felt to have his brother so close to him in Charlotte (via Charlotte Observer):

“It helps for sure,” Ball said. “That’s the dude I grew up with. I see Melo every day, talk to him every day. So that’s still my brother at the end of the day even though he’s in the league. But yeah, it’s cool having him there, man. “S—, feels like home for real. I don’t know how to describe it. It feels like home. When I’m in Charlotte, I’ll be kicking it with him, playing basketball, doing all that stuff. It’s always good having a brother in the NBA.”

LiAngelo played for the Hornets once again in NBA 2K23 Summer League, and it didn’t go as well. He shot just 18.2% on 3-pointers over the course of his three games in Las Vegas.

It is unlikely that LiAngelo will make the official roster for Charlotte next season. However, even though he has made headlines since his time at Chino Hills High School several years ago, he doesn’t turn 24 years old until later this year.

While the path to the NBA is much harder the older a player gets, there are plenty of players who have recently found their way to the floor in the pros at that age or older.

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WATCH: Video surfaces of LaVar Ball highlights from college

Safe to say, LaVar’s three sons are better hoopers than their dad.

The entire Ball family has game.

Well, kind of.

On Tuesday, a video surfaced online of college basketball highlights from LaVar Ball’s days at Washington State.

Not sure that I’d call these ‘highlights’ as all we saw from LaVar was some running around and arguing with the ref, which is the least bit surprising.

Now, at least we saw a lot of moving without the basketball without any demands calling for the ball. I’m proud of you, LaVar.

In 26 games in the 1987-88 season for the Cougars, Ball averaged 2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.

Check out the highlights below via the League Alerts YouTube page.

Stay tuned to Lonzo Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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There is ‘hope’ that Zach LaVine can be lured away from Bulls in free agency

I don’t normally pay much attention to the musings of LaVar Ball, but his pronouncement this week in a podcast interview with David Kaplan that Zach LaVine wants out of Chicago will only amplify what has been whispered by a few interested teams: …

I don’t normally pay much attention to the musings of LaVar Ball, but his pronouncement this week in a podcast interview with David Kaplan that Zach LaVine wants out of Chicago will only amplify what has been whispered by a few interested teams: There is much more hope in circulation than anticipated that LaVine can be lured away from the Bulls in free agency. Although it would almost certainly require a sign-and-trade to actually land LaVine, given that the few teams projected to have salary-cap space this summer are not in the title mix, Mr. Ball — father of Bulls guard Lonzo Ball — has just boldly stated what had been quietly surmised in recent weeks about LaVine potentially chafing from all the praise DeMar DeRozan received this season. It would be a tough outcome for Bulls GM Arturas Karnišovas if LaVine indeed tries to force his way elsewhere after Chicago made three significant trades to acquire Nikola Vučević, Lonzo Ball and DeRozan with the hope of securing LaVine’s long-term commitment.

Source: Marc Stein @ marcstein.substack.com

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
Zach LaVine’s free agency, Minnesota vs. Denver, coaching news galore, breaking down bonus checks, KD stuff, Westbrook stuff and one of the most burning questions in today’s NBA … all via my latest freshly published This Week In Baskeball column: marcstein.substack.com/p/one-sizzling… – 12:36 PM
KC Johnson @KCJHoop
The NBA Draft Combine isn’t just a job interview for young players. It’s a gossip gathering for all 30 teams.
And one of the biggest topics this week? Zach LaVine’s future.
Column for @NBCSChicago: nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/… – 11:19 AM
Josh Martin @LonzoWire
Could LaVine leave Chicago for Los Angeles? lonzowire.usatoday.com/lists/lavar-sa… – 7:05 AM

More on this storyline

LaVar Ball on Zach LaVine to Lakers: “He’s gone, and I’m gonna tell you why,” Ball said. “Okay, it started off Zach LaVine, Zach LaVine, Zach LaVine. Okay, now you get hurt, a few things happen, and guess who’s doing all the big plays? All I hear is DeMar. DeMar, DeMar, DeMar. He don’t want to play second fiddle, and who don’t want to go to L.A.? He want to go back to the West Coast.” -via YouTube / May 19, 2022
Zach LaVine’s return may not be in the bag for the Chicago Bulls as the two-time All-Star approaches unrestricted free agency. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported at the 22:00 mark of his Hoop Collective podcast Tuesday that the initial impression around the NBA was that LaVine was “off the market.” Now, there isn’t as much certainty about him staying in Chicago. Windhorst added that the Portland Trail Blazers have “popped up” as a potential landing spot. -via Bleacher Report / May 10, 2022
In the NBA, it’s rare for long-time friends to get a chance to play on the same team, and it is less likely that, if that does happen, both are star players. But it appears that San Antonio Spurs’ guard Dejounte Murray wants that to become a reality. A couple of days ago, Murray had fans in a frenzy when he tweeted a photoshopped image of Zach LaVine in a Spurs uniform. The image has since been deleted but not before Lavine caught wind of it. According to a Tweet from Jon Greenberg of The Athletic, LaVine stated Murray posting him in a Spurs uniform was him “just messing around.” -via Air Alamo / May 5, 2022

There is ‘hope’ that Zach LaVine can be lured away from Bulls in free agency

I don’t normally pay much attention to the musings of LaVar Ball, but his pronouncement this week in a podcast interview with David Kaplan that Zach LaVine wants out of Chicago will only amplify what has been whispered by a few interested teams: There is much more hope in circulation than anticipated that LaVine can be lured away from the Bulls in free agency. Although it would almost certainly require a sign-and-trade to actually land LaVine, given that the few teams projected to have salary-cap space this summer are not in the title mix, Mr. Ball — father of Bulls guard Lonzo Ball — has just boldly stated what had been quietly surmised in recent weeks about LaVine potentially chafing from all the praise DeMar DeRozan received this season. It would be a tough outcome for Bulls GM Arturas Karnišovas if LaVine indeed tries to force his way elsewhere after Chicago made three significant trades to acquire Nikola Vučević, Lonzo Ball and DeRozan with the hope of securing LaVine’s long-term commitment.

LaVar says Zach LaVine is gone: ‘He don’t want to play second fiddle’

Could LaVine leave Chicago for Los Angeles?

I’ve always wondered what a GM would think whenever LaVar Ball would playing phantom GM for his son’s team.

Well, LaVar’s back at it again.

In an interview with David Kaplan of NBCS Chicago, LaVar spoke about Zach LaVine’s upcoming unrestricted free agency and had thoughts on if his son’s teammate would be returning to Chicago.

“He’s gone and I’m going to tell you why. It started off ‘Zach LaVine, Zach LaVine, Zach LaVine’. Now you get hurt and a few things happen and guess who’s doing all the big plays? All I hear is DeMar,” LaVar said. “He don’t want to play second fiddle.”

LaVar says Lonzo and LaMelo ‘are going to play together’

The fearless leader of Big Baller Brand is speaking his sons playing together into existence.

LaVar Ball the philsopher, everyone.

The father of NBA stars Lonzo and LaMelo, along with G League player LiAngelo, LaVar is hellbent on one thing: having all three of his sons play together again.

He was close to getting two as LiAngelo played for the Hornets’ G League affiliate this season, the Greensboro Swarm, but never got the call up to the big leagues to join LaMelo.

But, as David Kaplan of NBCS Chicago asked him, LaVar is confident in his boys reuniting on the same team some day.

“I’m going to speak it into existence, they are going to play together,” LaVar said. “All three of my boys — not just two. All three of three and you’re going to see a show that you’ve never seen before.”

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LaVar Ball on Lonzo’s rehab: the Bulls ‘trained him the wrong way’

In LaVar’s opinion, the Bulls rushed Lonzo back too fast from his surgery.

LaVar Ball is back.

The father of Bulls guard Lonzo Ball and Hornets star LaMelo Ball has been relatively quiet since Lonzo departed Los Angeles but don’t let that fool you: LaVar always has something to say.

Whether it’s about his two NBA star sons, Big Baller Brand, or how his middle son, LiAngelo, deserves a shot in the league, LaVar will let you know how he feels and is forever himself.

Ball recently spoke with David Kaplan of NBCS Sports to discuss a number of topics, including the recent report of the Bulls having ‘serious concerns’ regarding Lonzo’s knee.

“He’s going to be fine. Here’s the thing: Zo’s going to do whatever it takes for him to do what he’s got to do. When they did the meniscus tear a long time ago, they just tried to let it heal. They should have cut that out the first time so he wouldn’t have to go back in there and then he ends up tearing it again.”

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