LaVar Ball, the outspoken father of highly rated NBA draft prospect Lonzo Ball, has said comments he made about his son’s white UCLA team-mates were misinterpreted – and that the Bruins’ white trio were not the reason for the team’s failure in the national tournament. “I love those guys,” Ball said.
Ball Sr had said that Lonzo Ball’s UCLA Bruins failed to go deep in the NCAA tournament because “realistically you can’t win a championship with three white guys, because the foot speed is too slow.”
But Lonzo’s father rowed back from those comments on Friday, during an interview with ESPN radio, and said his words had been misunderstood. Ball Sr said: “I am not saying I don’t like the white guys and we lost because of them. No – that’s how they twisted it up.”
Ball had seemed to refer to TJ Leaf, Thomas Welsh and Bryce Alford, but on Friday he was full of praise for the trio. “I love Bryce because he’s Alford’s son and he’s always been nice to me,” Ball said. “TJ Leaf – Zo’s friend, always nice and respectful. Thomas Welsh – one of their most intelligent players, very nice, respectful. But like I said, they’re going to do their thing and we’re going to do our thing. So don’t wear your feelings on your sleeve and think it’s a direct punch at you guys, because it’s not.”
Ball said only one person was responsible for the Bruins’ failure – and that was Lonzo. “I blame one person every time they lose, and it’s the same person all the time. It’s my son,” Ball said. “He’s at the head of the front and I blame him regardless if he had 30 points and 20 assists. It doesn’t matter. It’s already been said. Like he said, he didn’t make enough plays for his team to win.”
Kentucky won the game 86-75 and went on to lose to North Carolina in the Elite Eight.
The Balls have made headlines this season thanks to Ball Sr’s penchant for sensational talk. LaVar Ball, in true overbearing dad mode, said his eldest son was going to be better than Steph Curry, and claimed he wanted a $1bn sponsorship deal for his three basketball-playing sons. Lonzo’s younger brothers, LiAngelo and LaMelo, who are still in high school, are set to follow Lonzo and play for UCLA.
Lonzo Ball has filed paperwork for the draft and has hired an agent after just one season at UCLA – and he wants to play for his hometown Lakers. He said on Thursday: “I’m a family dude. All my family’s in LA, so to be able to play in front of them, you know, I think that would mean more to me.”
