The decision to draft Lonzo Ball at this point seems to be less a problem of his talents and more a problem of what to do with his father.
Much of the conversation around the Los Angeles Lakers and their second overall pick in next month’s NBA Draft is not about whether they should take Lonzo Ball, but if they also want to draft the baggage that is LaVar Ball.
A report on Friday said that Spectrum SportsNet, the broadcast partner for the Lakers, wants no part in LaVar Ball on its airwaves.
Multiple sources inside the Lakers official broadcast partner confirmed that while there have been no official discussions about how to handle LaVar Ball, they don’t expect he’ll be appearing on their network during games or on their other programming, outside of possible appearances on their behind-the-scenes look at the team on Backstage Lakers.
One anonymous source said that Lonzo “doesn’t need” Spectrum SportsNet anyway: he’s on Fox and its networks constantly. Though Spectrum SportsNet officials declined to say anything publicly, it doesn’t seem like anyone there is excited to expand the Big Baller Brand anytime soon.
“That’s not how we do things,” said one Spectrum Sportsnet employee given anonymity because they were not yet authorized to speak on whether or not LaVar Ball would be appearing on their network.
However, another employee said that they may just “follow the Lakers’ lead” on how to handle him, citing the network’s desire to maintain a positive relationship with the team.
“If the Lakers don’t want LaVar on SportsNet he won’t be,” the source said.
Despite that, those who have dealt with LaVar and the Ball family in the past say that he’s not a problem. Steve Alford, UCLA’s head coach, said he was never a problem. And those with the Lakers stress they aren’t worried about the impact or demands that come with drafting LaVar Ball’s son.
“I am aware of some of the comments of Lonzo’s dad, and I think he’s someone who’s passionate about his son,” said Jeanie Buss, the Lakers controlling owner. “I admire that. In my long history there was a time when I was heavily involved in tennis promotion, so I dealt with a lot of the tennis players’ parents. Their commitment to their kids rivals LaVar Ball’s connection to his own children.”
The Los Angeles Times article also mentions how the coaches at Chino Hills, where the Balls have played in high school, have had a high turnover rate while Lonzo and LaMelo have been there. But Alford was also quoted in that story saying that LaVar wasn’t an issue in college.
“I think all parents probably should know that moving on to the collegiate level anyway,” Alford said. “It’s not high school, it’s not AAU. Your son’s on scholarship; your son’s at UCLA getting an incredible opportunity academically and athletically.
“Playing time, shots, that kind of stuff — we don’t entertain some of those phone calls anyway. I never had any issues at all with LaVar.”
That change, one would think, is even more solid when basketball becomes a professional operation. The Lakers are saying all the right things about LaVar and Lonzo right now, but we’ll see what they decide soon enough.
