The LA Lakers apparently had to stage something of a Big Baller intervention.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported on Tuesday that the Lakers front office recently held a meeting with LaVar Ball asking him to tone down his criticisms of head coach Luke Walton over his handling of Ball’s son Lonzo. The meeting was said to have been called by president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka.
More from Shelburne:
Johnson and Pelinka declined to comment when asked about the meeting. A Lakers insider said the main message to Ball was that they’ve tried to keep their relationship positive, while still allowing him to speak his mind, and they’d prefer he did the same.
Ball himself confirmed that the meeting took place as well.
“It was the best thing, man,” the outspoken father was quoted as saying in the report. “Everybody’s going to try to make it an ego thing, like I’m trying to tell them what to do or they’re trying to tell me to tone it down. It’s not about that. It’s about coming together and to get a solution to this problem.
“It may sound crazy to other people, but I really just want the best for Lonzo, and the best for Lonzo is going to be what’s best for the organization,” LaVar continued. “Because if everybody winning, we good.”
When you read some of LaVar’s recent criticisms, it’s easy to see why the team might have been concerned. Such comments threaten to undermine Lonzo’s relationship with his coaches (something that could be especially problematic in his rookie season), so it looks like the Lakers are hoping to nip this issue in the bud while they still can.
