LaVar Ball has not backed off of his prediction that all three of his sons will one day be teammates in the NBA, but he may have to find a team that is willing to put up with his antics in order to make that happen.
Ball’s middle son, LiAngelo, went undrafted on Thursday night. The Los Angeles Lakers were among the teams that hosted him for a workout leading up to the draft, but they are not inviting him to join them for the Summer League. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reports that the decision may have more to do with LaVar than it does with basketball.
Lakers officially informed LiAngelo Ball he will not be on their Summer League team last night. They were determined to make this a basketball decision but as one source put it, “obviously there’s more to it than basketball.” In other words— the LaVar effect was real.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 22, 2018
For some perspective, it’s very common to add a few extra players to a Summer League roster. Just as it is to invite a ton of guys for draft workouts. This case is a bit different as @BillPlaschke noted after LiAngelo’s workout.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 22, 2018
To make matters more interesting, a report from earlier in the week indicated the Lakers could ship Lonzo Ball out of town if they end up landing LeBron James in free agency.
“The one constant that I’ve heard is Lonzo Ball.”
– @ChrisBHaynes on a potential piece to be moved for LeBron James
— ESPNLosAngeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) June 15, 2018
The Lakers obviously knew what they were getting into when they drafted a member of the Ball family, but perhaps LaVar has been a bigger headache than they envisioned. While the ridiculous comments he has made lately have been nothing out of the ordinary for him, it probably doesn’t help that Lonzo’s rookie season was a bit of a disappointment.
