LeVar Ball has zero chill. Now, he’s coming for the GOAT.
The elder Ball has already said his son, Lonzo Ball, is better than Steph Curry. He’s given us some wild thoughts about his sons and their brand, including high school hoops standout LaMelo Ball.
The latest is that LeVar says he could have destroyed Michael Jordan at 1-on-1 in his prime. Ball said such in a USA Today story in which he calls all three of his sons “superstars.” Clearly he thinks they got at least a little bit of their game from himself because he claimed “back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one.’’
“I would just back (Jordan) in and lift him off the ground and call a foul every time he fouls me when I do a jump hook to the right or the left,” Ball said. “He cannot stop me one-on-one. He better make every shot ’cause he can’t go around me. He’s not fast enough. And he can only make so many shots outside before I make every bucket under the rim.”
It’s worth noting that Ball played basketball for Washington State during the 1987-88 season and averaged 2.2 points, 2.3 rebounds a game before transferring to Cal-State Los Angeles in search of more playing time. Jordan, meanwhile, averaged 35 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Chicago Bulls that same season and is widely regarded as the greatest player in basketball history.
“Now in a game of five-on-five, (Jordan) might do some damage, but I’m going to do some damage too,’’ Ball added.
The cynical side of me thinks this is just another way for Ball to gain attention for his three sons, including one in college and the other trying to set scoring records in high school. It’s a family desperately seeking attention as they try to maximize potential pay days. He’s got a brand on shirts and hats and everything, so it’s clearly a thing.
And that’s fine! Lonzo Ball is currently working for free. LiAngelo Ball will soon be forced to do the same, with LaMelo to follow. They all deserve to get their money, and LeVar is undoubtedly putting himself out there to make that happen. Word on the street is LeVar is hoping to get a billion dollar shoe deal for each of his sons. Make it happen if you can, man.
Still, what if LaVar Ball is just the most supportive dad on the planet? Like, wouldn’t it be great to get that kind of confidence boost from your dad in something you’re truly passionate about? Ball truly thinks his sons are some of the best basketball players on the planet. Could you imagine my dad wading into the Uproxx comment section writing in ALL CAPS that I’m the next Hunter S. Thompson? Just picture my dad challenging Brian Phillips to a fight on a Facebook Live chat just to show how much faith he has in my #craft.
I don’t wish my dad were Lonzo Ball. Still, consider for a moment the effort LeVar is putting out there for his boys. It’s a good gig until MJ takes him up on the offer and someone’s around to film the results. That guy’s hyper competitive. He’d whip an old man in a game of H.O.R.S.E just to prove a point a few decades too late.
(Via CBS Sports)
