Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is staying far away from the Big Baller Brand Kool-Aid.
The hoops legend appeared on ESPN’s “His & Hers” podcast with Michael Smith and Jemele Hill on Wednesday and was asked for his thoughts on basketball’s great carnival barker, LaVar Ball.
“I don’t think LaVar Ball is doing his sons any good,” said Abdul-Jabbar. “He seems to be just somebody that’s out there trying to bring all the attention to himself, and I don’t know what the purpose is for that.
“His sons are good athletes,” continued the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. “Let them do their thing. I think he should step into the background.”
It’s easy to see why Abdul-Jabbar has a strong opinion on the matter — he’s an icon of both UCLA, where all three of Ball’s sons attend or will attend, and of the Los Angeles Lakers, where eldest son Lonzo could very easily end up.
In any case, Abdul-Jabbar is right that the Ball family patriarch has been bringing all of the attention to himself (especially lately) and that he will likely continue to rub people the wrong way as his sons go pro.
