Lavar Ball is one of the most outspoken figures in sports. In just a year’s time, the father of Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball has won headlines for a myriad of antics. First, he said Lonzo was already better than Stephen Curry. Then he took Lonzo out of the usual Adidas-Nike shoe race and developed the Big Baller Brand shoe line. Since then, he’s been good for a quote on just about anything you can think of from Lonzo’s coach to being able to beat Michael Jordan (no, there’s no B in the middle) in a game of one-on-one. The world has taken notice to Lavar’s motormouth. NBA coaches have already grown tired of him, and the Lakers have tried to prevent journalists from interviewing him after games.
He’s still going to talk though. Some people admire that trait, like the dad of another successful entertainment figure: Drake’s father Dennis Graham. TMZ caught up with Graham and asked him about Lavar. “I love [LaVar Ball] because he’s outspoken,” he said. He also championed Lavar because “People have been kissing butts for too long. He doesn’t do that. He speaks his mind.” Indeed.
Lavar is many things, but his push for athletic apparel independence with Big Baller Brand is a strong precedent that will hopefully inspire the next sports dad – that’s a little more levelheaded than Lavar.
