LaVar Ball: Lonzo needs to be a Laker because he’s a leader
By John Buhler
LaVar Ball is at it again. This time he says that his son Lonzo Ball needs to play for the Los Angeles Lakers over the Boston Celtics because he’s a leader.
Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before. LaVar Ball, the outspoken father of former UCLA Bruins point guard Lonzo Ball, is at it again, telling us all why his son has to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. The elder Ball cites a lack of on-court leadership as a reason his son should go No. 2 to the Lakers.
Ball appeared on CSN’s Celtics Talk podcast to further stir the pot on why his son isn’t going to play for the Celtics. He went on to say, “Team-wise, the Lakers are a better fit. They really don’t have a leader. Boston already went to the playoffs. They have a leader.”
While Ball is essentially crediting the play of Celtics starting point guard Isaiah Thomas, he is somewhat taking a jab at the Lakers starting point guard D’Angelo Russell. Only two years ago did the Lakers use the No. 2 overall pick on the one-and-done point guard out of Ohio State.
Ball does realize that his son and Russell will likely be starting in the backcourt together, right? The idea is that Ball would run the point with Russell sliding over the two with shooting guard Jordan Clarkson coming off the bench or being traded.
If Ball doesn’t want his son to play for the Celtics, that’s understandable, but are we sure that Ball will even wind up with the Lakers? Ball didn’t exactly crush it during his two-day meeting with the Lakers earlier in the week. Unlike his father, Lonzo is soft-spoken and would rather let his play do the talking.
Since Ball’s best attribute as a player is passing the basketball, it’s hard to see that in effect when he’s practicing against no one in the Lakers facility. Add in that some of the other top-tier prospects in this draft have a bit more swagger about them than Ball, this just feels like a father sticking up for his quiet kid.
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Ball did make UCLA a 30-win team in his lone year in the Pac-12. The Bruins went 31-5 and made it all the way to the 2017 NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. There, Ball met a tough one-on-one matchup in the former of Kentucky Wildcats point guard De’Aaron Fox. Fox will end up being a top-five pick in this draft as well.