By now, the name Lavar Ball has been echoed throughout almost every household. Whether it be teenagers buying into the Big Baller Brand experience or parents shaking their head as he goes on live television and speaks in his thunderous, commanding tone. Either way, it is difficult to denounce his ability to propagate his business as well as his sons and label his rise to fame as a monstrous success.
Since Lavar Ball started to become increasingly relevant in the shadow of his now Los Angeles Laker son Lonzo Ball and his two other sons, I have been on the Big Baller Brand train and even subscribed to Lavar Ball’s unrestrained personality. I supported him as a father of three incredibly talented children and as an entrepreneur.
But recent events and statements have made it exponentially more difficult.
As already commonly known, the middle child of the Ball family, LiAngelo Ball, was arrested for shoplifting in China during the preseason of his first year at UCLA, the school that all three Ball brothers were committed to attend and play basketball. Donald Trump was also in China during this charade and acted accordingly in attempts to release the player from Chinese custody and possible jail time.
Lavar Ball used his social platform to cause drama, of course, however, this time, it was with the President of the United States. He refused to acknowledge his actions regarding the release of his son even after the President explicitly stated that he was a key player in the release of LiAngelo Ball and the couple other students. Making dramatic statements including your son is better than the two time MVP Steph Curry and many others was always something I found humor in and enjoyed listening to. Not thanking the President of the United States as a means of getting on television and being disrespectful is just plain ridiculous.
But should I be surprised?
A few weeks ago, Lavar ended up taking his son out of UCLA and even forced his youngest son to decommit from the university as well. He continued to be vocal about his opinion on the issue as he truly believed that the season ban for his son after being arrested in China was idiotic. Was it idiotic? No, but of course Lavar would say it was.
This whole situation with the arrest and the refusal to thank the President I saw as a glitch in my enjoyment with the overall sensation that is the Ball family. But one event pushed me over the edge and forced me to steer clear of the brand.
Forcing his children to play professional basketball in Lithuania.
This decision was maniacal for many reasons. I watched the highlights from the show “First Things First” with Nick Wright and Cris Carter who laid out many of these reasons which became personal. They explained the athletic collegiate experience the kids are going to miss as a result of this decision as the personal relationships that they would never make as well.
Playing sports, for me, helped form the greatest friendships of my twenty-year lifespan of which many still survive today. In college, I have also had many experiences and friendships that have aided my ability to mature and understand the world just a little bit better. Although the two kids, LiAngelo and Lamelo Ball will have their own experience playing professional basketball in Lithuania, they will be missing out on some of the greatest life experiences that the college atmosphere and school has to offer. And why is this?
Because Lavar is more obsessed with his personal brand than the well-being and knowledge that he is forcing his sons to sacrifice because he has instilled a sense of fear within them that his way is the only way.
The Big Baller Brand was once a brand of a new, youthful experience with the focus being on the sons and their abilities. But because of Lavar’s antics and lunacy, he has turned the brand around with him as the focus, and that in itself is not big baller at all.
