ESPN’s Chris Haynes broke the story on Monday morning that the Los Angeles Lakers are now enforcing a long-standing rule that prohibits members of the media from mingling with family or associates of players from the team. It’s being dubbed as the ‘LaVar Ball Rule’ so you can probably guess what’s going on here. The Lakers were tired of LaVar talking to the media after every game, and this is their first move to prevent that from happening again.
Every NBA arena handles family areas differently, with some having a room designated for them in the back, while others having them hang out near the home team tunnel or behind the basket while they wait for whoever they are there for to come out from the locker room. The media normally also has access to that section, but this rule is meant to keep the media and family separate. In other words, get the media as far away from LaVar Ball as possible.
According to Haynes, “in prior years, media socialized and, at times, interviewed individuals in that sector without interference. If a media member is recognized in that area now, arena security or Laker staffers direct that he or she leave the area.”
I suppose you have to give the Lakers some credit for trying to keep the LaVar Ball circus in check, but they can’t actually think this is going to prevent him from saying whatever he wants, whenever he wants. In the age of social media, LaVar has a voice that can reach anywhere these reporters can, and when ESPN’s Jeff Goodman asked LaVar what he thought about the ‘LaVar Ball Rule’, he echoed that sentiment.
LaVar Ball to ESPN: "I'm not worried about the LaVar Ball rule." https://t.co/TZtdAcP8pU
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) December 4, 2017
“I’m not worried about the LaVar Ball Rule.”
LaVar’s not worried, nor should he be. Besides, LaVar has a new full-time job, so Lonzo and the Lakers are going to have to take a backseat while he molds LiAngelo Ball into the greatest basketball player in homeschool league history. As much as anything, this rule is likely to keep media from disrupting the other family members, who may not want to deal with the attention LaVar attracts from media types, because silencing LaVar is never an option.
