“Slow white guys” are to blame for UCLA’s recent Sweet 16 loss, says blabbermouth basketball dad LaVar Ball who's become even more of a go-to for a sports sound bite since angering NBA superstar LeBron James.
“Realistically you can’t win no championship with three white guys because the foot speed is too slow,” Ball told the Orange County Register in explaining the loss by the teams that includes his son, Lonzo Ball, star point guard and future NBA draft pick.
Besides the white guys, Lonzo Ball was partly to blame, said his dad, because of a hamstring injury suffered during the loss to the Kentucky Wildcats.
Those three white players were on the floor a lot this season for UCLA – Bryce Alford, Thomas Welsh and T.J. Leaf, who is projected to be picked up in the first round of the NBA Draft, according to Sports Illustrated.
“People thought he was giving up, but he popped his hamstring,” LaVar Ball said about why his son underperformed in the Sweet Sixteen. “He said ‘I was trying to run, but my hamstring was pulled.’ But he’s never going to make excuses.”
Following the loss, Lonzo Ball announced he was entering the NBA draft but he didn't mention an injury. When UCLA coach Steve Alford addressed the media after the game he said Lonzo ball was healthy, the Register noted.
In early March, LaVar Ball mentioned James while on an episode of the “In the Zone with Chris Broussard” podcast, according to SB Nation.
Ball was talking about the history of NBA stars and how their children usually don’t measure up to them once they enter the NBA. He used examples of players like Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant, two guys who Ball claims were great only because their dads were mediocre pros.
“You got LeBron, it’s going to be hard for his kids because they are going to look at them like, ‘You got to be just like your dad.’ And after a while, that pressure starts sitting on you like, ‘Why do I got to be just like him?” Ball said.
That sparked a response from James.
“Keep my kids’ name out of your mouth, keep my family out of your mouth. This is dad to dad. It’s a problem now,” James said in response.
Prior to UCLA’s loss, LaVar Ball was on record many times ensuring people that his son and the team were going to be this year’s national champions, Sports Illustrated noted.
LaVar Ball has made headlines claiming he would have beaten Michael Jordan in his prime and demanding a $1 billion endorsement deal for Lonzo Ball, projected to go No. 1 or 2 in the draft this June.
Social media jumped on Ball.
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