Lonzo Ball finally broke his silence about all the attention his father has gotten in recent months, and the results are pretty funny. The NBA Draft prospect joined other potential top picks in a special Father’s Day ad for Foot Locker where he shared memories of LaVar Ball while Lonzo grew up.
“Foot Locker asked us to reflect on everything dads do for us,” said De’Aaron Fox.
Fox recalled “games of 1-on-1 in the driveway where he’d let me win” when thinking of his father, whose name you probably don’t know for good reason. But while standouts like Fox, Jonathan Issac and Jayson Tatum shared fond memories of supportive fathers driving to early practices and going fishing, Ball’s memories of LaVar were a bit different.
— Foot Locker (@footlocker) June 14, 2017
“Of course there’s that big day where your dad berates your high school coach in front of an entire crowd for not getting you enough touches,” Ball said, wistfully.
“Or that special moment where your dad sits you down and tells you where you’re going to college,” Ball continued.
The clips of Ball sharing memories speed up from there.
“Copyrights your name to make it part of a family lifestyle brand,” Ball deadpans.
Ball also recalled when LaVar “went on First Take and shouted back and forth with Stephen A. Smith,” or said he was “already better than the reigning league MVP” and “the public spats with the all-time greats.”
The final line is his best, though. The commercial will air during the NBA Draft, and Lonzo mentions his father’s preference that he’s taken by the Lakers directly.
“And then tells 29 out of 30 teams to not bother drafting you,” Ball said.
No one knows for sure if the Lakers will actually draft Lonzo right now. But by the time you see this commercial on ESPN, we will have our answer. What’s most interesting about the ad is that—his private workout with the Lakers aside—it’s probably the longest the public has gone seeing just Lonzo Ball speaking without his father talking over him.
