Lonzo Ball is one exceptionally talented young player, and he’s taken to the big stage at UCLA without any ill effects. The freshman guard is almost certainly headed directly for the 2017 NBA Draft after spending one year with the Bruins, but trouble could be brewing on that front.
According to Scout.com’s Evan Daniels, “several NBA executives” see Ball’s father, Lavar, as a potential landmine. Daniels made the following statement after Ball said his son would “only play for the [Los Angeles] Lakers.”
Comments like this are why multiple NBA executives have told me they are concerned with Lonzo Ball's father. https://t.co/zp2MUtZvx2
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) February 26, 2017
This is hardly the only inflammatory statement Ball has made of late, either. He recently said that right now, at this moment in time, his son is better than Stephen Curry (more on that here).
We’ve all seen overbearing parents submarine their children’s careers at all levels of play. At this point, it is abundantly clear that Lavar Ball is in danger of ruining his son’s chance to have a happy, productive career in the NBA.
In addition to the unreasonable expectations he’s placing on Lonzo, Lavar is becoming a caustic force that could cost his son money in the upcoming draft, if not eventually a fate far worse still.