Hate him or love him, LaVar Ball will always be talked about. That’s the Big Baller Brand way and how he wants it. Personally, I love LaVar and want to see his family win. But not feels the same.
After his son’s disappointing debut for the Lakers Thursday, in which Lonzo finished with just three points, the focus shifted quickly shifted to LaVar's reaction. Of course, LaVar reacted exactly how people wanted: by calling out Patrick Beverley after the Clippers guard gave Lonzo the business all night.
And that’s where the problem lies. While LaVar will always react, Lonzo is the one who has to deal with the immediate consequences. There target on Lonzo’s back will only get bigger the more Lavar reacts.
In one sequence during last night’s game, Beverly knocked Lonzo down, forced a turnover, and then screamed “Bitch” in his direction. Total disrespect. And everyone ate it up. Twitter was lit, waiting to roast LaVar for his predictable hysterics.
None of this circus is going to stop, either. Pat Bev was ready to embarrass Lonzo. If you didn’t know any better, you might have thought that Beverly wanted to go at Lonzo more than winning the actual game. He didn’t, but that’s not the point.
The point is that if Beverley is going this hard at Lonzo, what are actual superstar point guards going to do? He has to face Steph Curry four times. The same Steph Curry who LaVar Ball talked shit about on multiple occasions earlier this year.
Chances are Lonzo is going to be a good NBA player. Whether or not he’s better than good will remain to be seen. There’s definitely no reason to overreact after one NBA game against a really good defensive player. Lonzo will figure out his bearings and hopefully deliver on some of the massive hype his father has reigned up on him.
But the most important question facing the Ball family is whether LaVar will ever chill? The answer is probably no, but he should really consider it for Lonzo’s sake. As LaVar continues to do what LaVar's going to, Lonzo is left tumbling in his wake. For a young rookie in the NBA, he has enough to deal with. Add in that he’s the point guard/future of the Lakers and let’s just say he’s got enough distractions without his father yapping after every game.
LaVar is sure that his son can handle the pressure, and maybe he can. But he should do Lonzo a favor and pipe down so the kid can do his thing without the league making a mockery of the No. 2 pick’s inaugural season.
