Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton joined Jim Rome’s radio program on Tuesday and would it surprise you to hear that Rome asked Walton about Lonzo Ball and his father, LaVar?
Rome asked Walton about the UCLA prospect expected to go second overall at the NBA Draft in a few weeks. That means they spoke about his father, LaVar, and his general orbit around his son.
Walton spoke about the evaluation process before Lonzo had his workout with the Lakers on Wednesday. He also said LaVar Ball wouldn’t be attending the workout, though he could come by for dinner afterward.
“I think the workout is something that we’ll keep the doors closed on,” Walton said.
Walton, who spoke on Tuesday before the team met with Lonzo, said he would be open to him showing up to dinner but didn’t think he was scheduled to attend.
“I think he would definitely make the dinner more entertaining,” Walton said. “He’s definitely welcome to join us for that one.”
There’s no word if Lonzo got the radio invite in time to dine with the Lakers front office and Walton, but I hope he did. It’s not the first time Walton has been asked about LaVar Ball during a radio interview, and I’m sure actually getting some face time with the Big Baller Brand maven would let him tell a few new stories the next time someone asks.
As far as the “ban” of LaVar from the workout, characterizing it with that language seems a bit extreme here. These workouts are often just a player and a team’s scouts and major players putting the prospect through drills. It’s not exactly a spectator sport in the first place.
Walton was asked about LaVar directly, and he once again said that what a father may or may not say to the media isn’t going to impact the team’s decision to draft Lonzo.
To me, that’s not an issue. Parents are always going to have their opinions. They’re going to be outspoken at times. As you know, Jim, I have a very outspoken father myself. It doesn’t bother me. If we were to draft him, we’re going to coach him, he’s going to be part of our team, he’s going to be part of our family. And we’ll go from there. This is the NBA. We’ll keep the team where it needs to be and we will not let outside things influence us.
That’s very similar to what Walton told The Dan Patrick Show last month. So while rumors continue to swirl that the Lakers are changing their minds, Walton hasn’t changed his. And with the way the other prospects seem to be falling into place, it looks like Lonzo is the Lakers’ to take, if they still want him after Wednesday’s workout.
