Good luck finding a bigger troll in the sports world right now than LaVar Ball. This dude has actually transformed himself from an ordinary yellow-toothed sports dad into a bonafide popular personality simply by spewing ridiculous quotes in rapid succession.
If you’ve been away from sports social media for an extended time, LaVar Ball is the father of UCLA product and NBA lottery pick Lonzo Ball, as well as high school stars, LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball. Get to know more about LaVar through his quotes and moments below.
Lavar has drummed up his sons like no other sports dad before. In his eyes, Lonzo Ball is better than Jason Kidd, better than real-life Michael Jordan, better than Space Jam Michael Jordan, better than anyone who played basketball past or present.
And now that we have at least a remote idea how LaVar’s brain functions, it’s no surprise retroactively speaking that he once said and appeared to truly believe that Lonzo is a better player than Stephen Curry. Lonzo has yet to make it to the NBA, let alone refine his ugly shooting form, and yet his father thinks he’s a level higher than Stephen Curry is. Now that’s quintessential LaVar Ball.
9. He made Charles Barkley hate his guts
LaVar Ball’s claim that his son can’t be touched by Stephen Curry (two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry!) had set off a lot of people, including the highly-opinionated Charles Barkley. Barkley was quick to put LaVar’s statement to the nearest dumpster with a response:
“Just because you say some s**t, doesn’t make it right. He’s gonna be better than Steph Curry? That’s what he said. Steph Curry has won a couple MVPs, he’s pretty good. Man, let me tell you something. That’s that AAU s**t. You can’t say a guy is going to be better than Steph Curry, a guy who has played 30 college games. I know you can be proud of your son, but at some point, it becomes stupidity.”
8. LaVar Ball knows no King
What better way for LaVar to make noise than go after The King, LeBron James. In a podcast episode hosted by Chris Broussard, LaVar suggested that LeBron’s sons are not going to flourish in the NBA should one day they make it to the big league because it’s going to be difficult for them to live up to their father’s name. He went on to say that his kids will fare better than LeBron’s.
You know LaVar has made it when the media managed to get LeBron’s comments about the delusional sports dad’s take, warning LaVar to “Keep my kids’ name out of your mouth, keep my family out of your mouth. This is dad to dad. It’s a problem now.”
7. The showdown with Stephen A. Smith
The fact that LaVar Ball and Stephen A. Smith sat beside each other in a room and not caused cancer to anyone within a 100-mile radius was a miracle. Here are two guys that share a penchant for overblown hot takes and obnoxious personalities waging a verbal war against each other. Our ears could only take so much punishment.
6. The birth of the Big Baller Brand
Regardless of what comes out of LaVar’s repulsive orifice that he calls his mouth, you got to give it to the man for showing us what the maxim “bad publicity is still publicity” is all about.
He’s really held on to that saying, minding little of the consequences of his words so long as it gets him free air time, which he’s been using lately to peddle his family’s enterprise: the Big Baller Brand. The brand’s featured product is Lonzo’s ZO2 signature shoe that is priced a dizzying $495. For those who don’t have enough dough to cop a pair of ZO2’s, well, LaVar only has this to say:
Big Baller's loose! If you can't afford the ZO2'S, you're NOT a BIG BALLER! ?
If it was up to LaVar, his kids would have Sphinx statues of their likeness decorating the entrance of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame museum by now. Also, if Nike were to listen to him, the sporting apparel giant would tender LaVar’s sons with a billion-dollar contract to endorse the company’s goods. You could just imagine Nike’s higher-ups breaking in guffaws the moment they heard LaVar’s proposal.
4. His undying thirst for his son to become a Laker
There is only one NBA team LaVar wants Lonzo to play for: the Los Angeles Lakers. During an appearance on the The Kevin and Mike Show, LaVar had this to say:
“All I said was that my boy is going to play for the Lakers, and I’m going to speak it into existence.”
The Lakers hold the no. 2 pick in the draft, and provided the Celtics don’t take Lonzo first overall, LaVar’s dream may just come true.
3. Failed prediction
Remember when LaVar predicted on national television that UCLA is going to win the national tournament? Well, his prediction was just doing fine until De’Aaron Fox De’Aaron Fox-ed his son, Lonzo, in the Sweet 16 Round, with the Kentucky guard exposing the younger Ball’s defensive shortcomings by scoring 39 points in the Wildcats’ 86-75 win—a victory shared by the then growing community of Ball family haters.
2. LaVar plays Marcellus Wiley
LaVar believed that he could beat Michael Jordan one-on-one (more on that later) and that was brought up by the guys over at ESPN’s SportsNation television program, particularly by Marcellus Wiley, who challenged LaVar to a game. See how it all unfolded below.
1. He’ll murder Michael Jordan on the court
This was arguably where it all started. When LaVar boldly announced that he could take down the G.O.A.T in a one-on-one during his heyday, the entire Twitterverse and an army of media personalities were quick to label it as blasphemy. In the first place, LaVar didn’t have a discernible heyday. He played just one season of college ball at Washington State in 1987-1988 and averaged just 2.2 points on 40.4 percent shooting in 26 games. Take it away, Le’Veon Bell:
Lavar Ball, in '88 when youu averaged that whole 2 points a game at Washington St, Michael Jordan averaged 35 a game with the Chicago Bulls
