Pelicans, Ball family deny claim that Lonzo still has torn ligaments

On Thursday, Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster posted his first video on his new YouTube channel, where he alleged that his former business partner, Lonzo Ball, still had torn ligaments in his ankle. Ball suffered a season-ending ankle sprain in January, but Foster claimed that Ball was made aware of his ankle problems in November.

In light of the video, TMZ reached out to the New Orleans Pelicans and a representative of the team denied Foster’s claims:

We reached out to the Pelicans and a rep told us, “The team strongly debunks this and was very aware of Lonzo’s injury history and status [before we traded for him].”

A spokesperson for the Ball family — Denise White of EAG Sports Management — also denied Foster’s claims:

As for Lonzo, Ball family spokesperson Denise White tells us… “Alan Foster has repeatedly lied, defrauded and stole from the Ball family. Anything he says cannot be trusted.”

While Foster’s account of Ball and his manager Darren Moore’s trip to Cleveland checks out with what Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier this summer, it’s hard to imagine that Foster — who Ball cut ties with in March — knows more than the Pelicans’ medical staff.

If Ball suffers another serious ankle injury this season, perhaps this will be a topic worth re-visiting, but until then the safe bet is to trust the professionals in New Orleans and not the guy in a legal battle with Ball and his family.