How Can You Hate Lavar Ball?
March 22, 2018
The title says it all.
Sometimes, I can’t believe the hate Lavar Ball constantly gets.
People call him a fool, an idiot, a clown, you name it, but the best way to describe Lavar Ball is simple:
A genius.
The man sure knows how to create attention for himself, his family and his brand. He is a trailblazer who not only takes the road less traveled, but has had great success doing so.
Lavar said his son Lonzo, who was still a UCLA Bruin at the time, was already better than 2X NBA MVP Stephen Curry. He also said that he (yes, Lavar himself) could beat MJ in his prime, one on one.
A video of him on ESPN’s First Take, in which he talked about both, garnered a staggering 3.3 million views.
Because of this, people are even more interested in watching his three sons play. A highlight video of LiAngelo Ball’s UCLA debut in an exhibition game has 2.3 million views. LaMelo’s official Ballislife sophomore season mixtape has 1.6 million views and Lonzo’s senior mix has 2.7 million views.
Whether they’re fans or haters, people want to watch these kids play obviously because of their talent but also because of their father’s bold proclamations.
As a result, their family business also benefits. As you probably know, Lavar got into it with Donald Trump regarding the shoplifting situation in China. Trump tweeted about Lavar, calling him a fool for not being grateful.
Did you catch that?
Lavar got Donald Trump, the President of the United States, to tweet about him by name.
In a three day span following the exchange, Big Baller Brand attained an estimated $13.2 million in free digital and television advertising. Eric Smallwood, Apex Marketing Group president, told Yahoo! Sports, “This back and forth with Donald Trump has extended the brand awareness outside of just sports.”
Lavar has proven to be a marketing genius. He may say some “ridiculous” things, but in the end, the resulting attention benefits his family and their brand tremendously.
Now, let’s forget basketball, business and all that stuff. The #1 reason why I do not understand the hate towards Lavar Ball is that he genuinely seems like an amazing person.
As Drake said at the 2017 NBA Awards Show, “Lavar Ball has proven something that doesn’t get enough attention in this country, the black father that’s around too much.”
Obviously this is a joke, but the idea behind it is true. Whether it’s in the gymnasium of Chino Hills High School, Pauley Pavilion at UCLA or Staples Center, home to the LA Lakers, Lavar is always there supporting his kids. He may say some outlandish things, but he’s always expressing confidence and belief in his boys.
Lavar is just as supportive as a husband as he as always been there for his wife Tina, especially after she suffered a stroke. He personally works with her on regaining her speech and physical abilities.
The father of the Ball Brothers is an all around family man. Just watch their Facebook Series, Ball in the Family, and you’ll always see his parents, siblings, in-laws, kids and even his kids’ friends around him. It’s obvious that Lavar cares for the people close to him and genuinely wants what’s best for them.
I just don’t see any reason not to at least respect Lavar. He is a marketing mastermind who is also loving and supportive towards his family. Yeah, he may be crazy but he’s also charismatic and brings energy everywhere he goes.
He gets people paying attention to him especially people who can’t stand him. Any Lavar Ball haters that don’t agree with me?
You clicked on this article, right?
Exactly.
Mr. Mabey • Apr 6, 2018 at 10:56 am
Amir – I would also put him in the “most annoying genius ever” category but certainly the man has found his niche in the sports world and he is not going anywhere, anytime soon at least. His ability to be outrageous, cocky and annoying has made a nice fortune for his family at the expense of his family. Many universities, professional teams and potential companies that he or his sons could potentially be a part of as a student, athlete or spokesperson are crossing the entire family off the list – so longevity will be a problem for the Ball Brand. He has snatched short term financial success at the expense of potentially being a household name for many years to come. Why? Because even he knows his sons do not possess the level of talent that would have allowed them to make this fortune on their own – so yes he is a genius because he has the foresight to grab it now while they can because within the next 5 years the Ball Brand will be a shining example of how to hide a lack of talent and potentially turn it into millions.
Amir Clato-Day • Apr 6, 2018 at 12:12 pm
I disagree with the point you made regarding the lack of talent that the Ball Brothers possess. The only one you can even argue possesses a lack of talent that doesn’t match the hype is the middle brother, LiAngelo, as he was just a three star recruit in high school. However, there is strong evidence that Lonzo would be in the position he is in even without Lavar’s strong presence. Lonzo was ranked the #1 point guard in the country (and the #4 overall player) in ESPN’s Top 100 rankings for the class of 2016 and was a McDonald’s All American. At UCLA, he had a great season. He led the country in assists (7.7 APG), was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, a member of the All-Pac-12 First Team And was a consensus first-team All-American. Him being selected #2 overall in the NBA Draft would have been more than plausible even without Lavar. It’s a similar case for LaMelo. The youngest Ball Brother was ranked as the #2 point guard (#16 overall) in the Class of 2019 by ESPN before heading to Lithuania. This means that he almost certainly would have been named as a McDonald’s All American. As we all know, McDonald’s All Americans have a very good chance of being top picks in the draft depending on how they fare in college. Lamelo would have been TRENDING towards being a lottery pick, again, even without Lavar. Everything I’ve said proves that there is not a lack of talent that Lavar is masking. It also shows how Lavar is not at all operating “at the expense of his family.” Rather, it shows how his continuous support and presence in the lives of his boys has aided them tremendously in getting where they are today. The confidence he has in them is a big reason why they’re so confident themselves. Don’t take my word for it, look at what people in the NBA world have said about him. Wizards coach Scott Brooks said, “I would love to have my father around like [LaVar] is around and talk to him and pump me up with confidence…To me, that’s every son’s dream. And for some reason he gets criticized.”
Six time All-Defensive teammer Tony Allen also said about Lavar, “If my daddy would’ve been like that, I’d have probably went No. 1 [in the draft].”
Both Brooks and Allen realize the huge positive impact Lavar’s had on his son’s lives. Yeah, he may be a bit crazy but the success he has guided his boys to and the belief he has in them is more than worth it.
Mr. Zeuschner • Apr 2, 2018 at 1:06 pm
In answer to the question posed in the headline: Easily as a self-promoter who puts himself above his children. Hate is a strong word and I do not know Mr. Ball well enough to hate him as a person, but I do hate the persona he has created in the media. That’s an easy call. He deserves no further attention.