Kris Bryant’s father criticizes conduct of LaVar Ball

Much like LaVar Ball, Mike Bryant — the father of Chicago Cubs MVP third baseman Kris — has been his son’s biggest fan from day one.

Bryant, too, has been a bit too outspoken in the past, but seeing how Ball behaves around his son Lonzo has not met his approval.

“The guy is going to ruin it for his kids,” Mike Bryant told ESPN 1000 in Chicago on Tuesday, via Jesse Rogers of ESPN. “I mean that in a sympathetic/empathetic way. Let his kids go out there and play and let the rest happen. But to compare him to Michael Jordan and better than Steph Curry, c’mon, that’s disrespecting those guys. If I had five minutes with him and I could get him to listen for two of them I think I could get him to think a little bit.”

Mike was concerned that LaVar Ball’s comments would make it harder for Lonzo to enjoy himself while playing.

“How can you have fun when you’re worried about your old man making a fool of himself,” Bryant said. “There’s ways to do it. I’m not trying to be judgmental. I feel for the kid in this situation. There are too many stories out there that don’t turn out well because of stuff like this.”

Mike’s advice for LaVar would be to cut it out and enjoy how good his son is.

“Just let your kid play and enjoy it,” Bryant said. “You have to enjoy it. If you sit back and zip it, don’t run your mouth and watch him do what he does you will be amazed at how good he is. If you’re too busy talking you’re going to miss the moments.

“The spotlight is on him and all for the wrong reasons. It’s too bad. I wonder if it’s a tragedy waiting to happen or if something good can come out of it. It makes my skin crawl. My wife would smack me upside the head if I acted like that.”

We know that a lot of people — including some in the media — have had it with LaVar’s antics, but it’s interesting to hear the perspective of another father of a high-profile athlete.