Lakers: We are all to blame for this LaVar Ball mess

LaVar Ball, 50-year-old father of Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, has become the most talked about LA sports figure despite not even being an athlete.

Picture this. You are 17 years old. You live in Chino Hills and attend Chino Hills High School. You’re on the basketball team, you win the state championship led by three “Ball Brothers” — Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo. Two years later, your old teammate Lonzo is on the Los Angeles Lakers. He was the second overall draft pick. He became the youngest NBA player to record a triple-double.

And he still is not as big of a deal as his father. His father, LaVar, who nobody knew of three years ago. A father, who has raised his boys for 20 years, going 18 years of which under the radar. Being a normal father, pushing his sons to succeed.

Now, LaVar is the biggest sports icon in Los Angeles. Everyone talks about him, some love him, some hate him. His Big Baller Brand fashion line has been criticized. He says outlandish thing after outlandish thing. He has been on ESPN, Fox Sports and wants to create his own Junior Basketball Association as an alternative to the NCAA.

With such a massive spotlight has come controversy. Every outlandish comment is bigger than the last. His middle son, LiAngelo, was arrested in China for shoplifting. That caused a feud with Donald Trump. His youngest son, LaMelo, was pulled from high school.

They both signed with Lithuanian professional basketball team Vytautas Prienai–Birštonas. Their father, meanwhile, has not stopped causing issues for his oldest son’s team, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Many point the finger directly as LaVar Ball. He is the source of all this nonsense. Naturally, it makes sense to blame him for his own mess. He controls what he says, what his sons do and the overall image of Big Baller Brand.

But this entire LaVar Ball mess in not LaVar Ball’s fault. In fact, I would go as far as to say this is exactly what he wants. The fans — and the media — are playing directly into LaVar’s hands.

We are to blame for this LaVar Ball mess. None of this happens if nobody talked about LaVar Ball. If nobody bought into Big Baller Brand and it’s $500 shoes; if no network gave him such a massive stage to speak; heck, if the WWE didn’t buy into the hype and invite him, Lonzo and LaMelo to Monday Night RAW; none of this would be happening.

Instead, LaVar would go back to what he was doing the previous two decades of his life: being a normal father. He likely would still say outlandish things. He would still control his son’s lives. But he would be nothing more than Lonzo’s, LiAngelo’s and LaMelo’s dad.

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How many athletes in this world have crazy fathers? I’m sure there are plenty. I’m sure there are many athletes that come home for the holidays and hear their father complain about their team, their coach or how they were unfairly represented in the media.

That is what fathers do. They want the best for their children. As far as LaVar Ball is concerned, everything he does and says is good for his boys. And it is. Everything he does, whether you agree or disagree, only elevates his image, thus elevating the Big Baller Brand and elevating his sons.

It may be a weird way to go about it, but it is working. Lonzo Ball is the most talked about rookie since LeBron James. And while that has hurt the Lakers rookie due to expectations, he easily is the biggest rookie in the NBA. That is why Ball only trails Ben Simmons in rookie all-star voting.

Thus, before you point the finger at LaVar Ball, realize what he is doing. He wants you to point the finger at him. He wants you to talk about him and his sons. When you do, you are only feeding into the Big Baller Brand machine.

Next: Paul George is not the answer

We are at fault for this mess. Hopefully, it can sort itself out for the sake of his sons and the Los Angeles Lakers.

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