Sixers Special Adviser Jerry Colangelo Has Concerns About ‘The People Around’ Lonzo Ball

You knew this was coming. You knew that some NBA team at the top of the 2017 Draft was going to express concerns about Lonzo Ball that had more to do with his father, LaVar, than his abilities as a basketball player. It may not be fair, but hey, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t going to happen.

Philadelphia 76ers special adviser and former chairman Jerry Colangelo went onto a radio show on Friday and laid out his thoughts on Ball. Colangelo – whose son, Bryan, is the team’s general manager – did say that he thinks Ball’s talent is ultimately more important and no team should pass on him because of “the people around him,” but he did raise Ball’s inner circle as a concern.

Colangelo clarifying that no team should pass on Ball for reasons outside of his ability as a basketball player is good – it isn’t fair to him to hold those close to him (which surely seems like a shot at his dad’s personality) against him like this, plus as we heard from UCLA coach Steve Alford, LaVar was not a distraction while the eldest Ball son was in Westwood. Even if he was, NBA commissioner and noted Twitter user Adam Silver has expressed that he believes LaVar will “settle down” once Lonzo makes it to the NBA.

Regardless, it would take something surprising for the Sixers to even be in a situation where they’d pick Lonzo. He’s viewed by many as the second-best prospect in this draft, and with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers picking second and in need of some star power, it makes sense that Lonzo would be off the board by the time Philadelphia picks at No. 3. Anything can happen and the Lakers can go in a different direction, of course, but we’ll have to wait to find out if the Sixers are put in a spot where they’ll have to choose between picking Ball or going in a different direction.