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Lavar Ball Biography
LaVar Ball is an American media personality and businessman. He has three sons who are basketball players: Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo; shooting guard LiAngelo, who was enrolled at UCLA briefly with a basketball scholarship; and current Los Angeles Ballers combo guard LaMelo. He is the founder and CEO of the sports apparel company Big Baller Brand and founder of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA).
While at Canoga Park High School Ball played basketball and American football, going on to play basketball at the collegiate level for West Los Angeles College, Washington State and Cal State Los Angeles. He played football at Long Beach City College for a season. Lavar had a brief professional career with the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football, where as a tight end he had a total of 28 kickoff return yards, and no receptions. In 1995 he was a practice squad member of the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers , but never played an official regular season game in the National Football League.
Following a series of bold statements in the spring of 2017, Ball began repeatedly making national sports headlines. His early remarks included saying that his son Lonzo is better than Stephen Curry and claiming that he himself could defeat Michael Jordan one-on-one in basketball. He was subject to both praise and criticism as he continued making similar comments, some of which involved his company, Big Baller Brand. Ball has made several appearances on national TV and has routinely drawn attention from major sports media outlets. He has also been in the spotlight for his criticism of his sons’ teams, most notably the Lakers for their treatment of Lonzo, as well as for his exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump after LiAngelo was detained in China for shoplifting.
Lavar Ball Age | Lavar Ball Birthday
Lavar was born on October 23, 1967 in South Los Angeles, California. He is 56 years as of year 2023.
Lavar Ball Family |Lavar Ball Brothers|Lavar Ball Dad |Lavar Ball Parents
Ball was born on October 23, 1967, and was raised in South Los Angeles, California. His parent’s information is not yet known. He has four brothers, named LaFrance, LaValle, LaRenzo, and LaShon.
Lavar Ball College | Lavar Ball College Basketball | Lavar Ball Basketball |Lavar Ball Nfl
Lavar joined Canoga Park High School in Canoga Park, Los Angeles. In High school he was a prominent quarterback on the football team and played basketball as a forward. Ball grabbed a total of 316 rebounds to break the school record in one season. Apart from sports, Ball majored in criminal justice at college and had hopes of being a U.S. Marshal.
Lavar first started playing college basketball at West Los Angeles College in the low-tier Western State Conference despite having little experience at the prep level. In 1986,in the season opener he recorded 33 points and 18 rebounds against Porterville College. He then transferred to NCAA Division I Washington State where he became a starting forward. In 26 games for the Cougars, he averaged only 2.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game. Ball after one season, he transferred again to Cal State Los Angeles, which competed in the NCAA Division II, playing alongside three of his four brothers.
College basketball statistics
Year |
Team |
GP |
GS |
MPG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
PPG |
| 1987–88 | Washington State | 26 | — | — | 0.404 | 0 | 0.45 | 2.3 | 1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.2 |
Lavar Ball Pro Football
When he was in college, Ball was invited to a football tryout and eventually made a return to the sport. After he completed his college basketball career, Lavar played a single year of college football at Long Beach City College as a tight end. Ball signed with the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) as a defensive end on May 1, 1994. On March 7, 1995 he returned to the Jets , as a tight end and was immediately sent to the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football (WLAF) the same year. Ball recorded 28 yards in kick returns in the 1995 season for the Monarchs. Lavar was also a part of the practice squads of both the Jets and Carolina Panthers during his NFL career, remaining with the latter team until late November 1995, albeit with no games played due to injury. His football career would come to an end after said injury, and he would retire to originally be a personal trainer in California.
Lavar Ball Show
Deadline Hollywood reported in early July 2017, that Facebook would be releasing a reality television show featuring the Ball family. It would be a part of a larger project for the social media website to enter the video business. After few weeks, it was reported that the show, called Ball In The Family, would exclusively air on Facebook on August 31, with the following episodes airing every Sunday, starting on September 10. It was produced by Bunim/Murray Productions, which also helped create the reality TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E! and Real World on MTV.
One impact that was involved with the show was that a local Lithuanian pizza shop named Tango Pizza expanded their business and revamped their menus to fit more of the American cuisine over the prior Italian specialty, including a popular special named after him that’s the equivalent of a meat lover’s pizza. Ball and his son Lonzo competed against each other on Lip Sync Battle on February 15, 2018, with LaVar winning the episode over his son.
Lavar Ball And Sons |Lavar Ball Tina Ball |Lavar Ball And Wife
Lavar and his wife Tina married in 1997 they met at Cal State Los Angeles. They have three sons, Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo. Lonzo their first son is currently a point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, while LiAngelo is a shooting guard/small forward that was previously a part of the UCLA Bruins team before leaving the university, and LaMelo originally played at Chino Hills High School before being taught solely by his father in 2017. LiAngelo and LaMelo both were previously signed with the Vytautas Prienai–Birštonas of the Lithuanian Basketball League from December 11, 2017 until April 25, 2018. Their father Lavar was also an assistant coach during the fourth game of the Big Baller Brand Challenge Games for the Vytautas Prienai–Birštonas on January 23, 2018. He was named head coach for the final game of the event five days later. Lavar later coached Vytautas for the Big Baller Brand International Tournament once again , as well as a couple other exhibition games against other international teams. Currently, the two play for the Los Angeles Ballers in LaVar’s Junior Basketball Association. Tina, his wife previously suffered a stroke in 2017, which left her dealing with aphasia in relation to it.
When his youngest son LaMelo reached four years of age, Lavar started training all of his sons to play basketball. The three were taught many skills by their father and later played for his Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team, Big Ballers VXT. For a very short period of time in their childhoods, Ball also had them play flag football, with Lonzo playing quarterback and his other sons catching passes. Following an illustrious career atA Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, California, Lonzo became a star at UCLA. His younger sons played at the same high school and originally both committed to UCLA, with LiAngelo briefly attending there in 2017 before joining LaMelo out in Lithuania later that year.
Lavar Ball League
The league was first announced in December 2017 by LaVar Ball, and he said it would be completely funded by Ball’s sports apparel company Big Baller Brand. The JBA features eight teams from major American cities, with games in ten venues. It played its inaugural season during 2018.
Lavar Ball Height
He stood 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and weighed 250 lbs (113 kg) by college.[10
Lavar Ball House |Lavar Ball Mansion |Lavar Ball Occupation
On October 30, 2017 Lavar showed off his new mansion in Chino Hills Calif, calling it the best house in an 80 mile radius. At that time of video the huse appeared to be undergoing renovations.
It was confirmed by The Los Angeles Times that the Big Baller Brand, the apparel brand and LLC connected to both Lavar and Lakers guard
Lonzo Ball, purchased a 13,800-square-foot home with a 1,200-square-foot guest house in Chino Hills for $5.2 million.
The house, which was built in 2005, According to the original listing, had “fallen into some disrepair and just needs a little TLC.” Big Baller Brand paid list price for the home purchased on Aug. 31.
The house is a three-story home with eight bedrooms and 8.75 bathrooms. The house also has amenities like fenced-in swimming pool, multiple balconies, a gym, gourmet kitchen, home theatre and an elevator.
Lavar Ball Net Worth
Has a successful media personality and businessman Lavar has an estimated net worth of $4 million dollars.
Lavar Ball Jersey |Lavar Ball T Shirt
Lavar Ball Jersey photo
Lavar Ball Lebron
This is what Lavar said about Lebron he gotta try out and make sure he’s good enough,” LaVar said. “He’s not good enough. He’s only like 14 years old … Yeah, he’s good enough for college, but the JBA is a step above that.”
Lavar Ball Tattoo
Lavar Ball, the outspoken father of NBA players Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo, is well-known for his strong opinions on basketball and his distinct personality. One notable aspect of his character is his aversion to tattoos.
Despite Lavar’s disapproval of tattoos, two of his sons, Lonzo and LiAngelo, have chosen to get inked.
Lonzo boasts a full sleeve tattoo adorning his right arm.
LiAngelo has tattoos on his chest and back.
Lavar has publicly expressed his dislike for tattoos, citing his belief that they can convey an unprofessional image and sometimes associate individuals with criminal stereotypes. His concern extends to his sons, as he wants them to serve as positive role models for young people.
In 2018, Lavar faced a situation that tested his stance on tattoos when his youngest son, LaMelo, got his first tattoo. The ink on LaMelo’s wrists spelled out the words “Fear” and “God.”
Lavar was clearly unhappy about this decision, going as far as to tell LaMelo that he would “choke the hell out of him” if he continued to get more tattoos.
It’s worth noting that, despite his strong opinions on the matter, Lavar Ball has chosen not to get any tattoos himself and above are tattoo photos of him by his fans, Lavar has mainted a personal stance that differs from the choices made by his sons in this regard.
Donald Trump vs. LaVar Ball: A Timeline of How We Got Here
By CHRIS CHAVEZ November 22, 2017
President Donald Trump is at war with LaVar Ball. The two men have taken to social media and cable news to discuss the president’s role in helping three UCLA basketball players get released from a shoplifting charge in China.
Here is how we got to Trump vs. Ball:
2016
– Trump is elected as the 45th President of the United States of America.
– LaVar Ball starts his to prominence as the outspoken father of former UCLA basketball player and top NBA draft prospect Lonzo Ball. Ball makes bombastic claims like proclaiming himself and his sons as better players than many NBA greats. Lonzo Ball is drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in June 2017.
2017
Monday, Nov. 6
LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were arrested after stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store near the UCLA team hotel in Hangzhou, China. The UCLA Bruins were getting ready to play Georgia Tech in their season opener.
It is later revealed that the three players stole from three stores.
Wednesday, Nov. 8
After being arrested, the three players surrendered their passports. The three players were released on $2,200 bail but had to stay in their hotel. The decision to remain in the lakeside hotel was made by UCLA and not the Chinese authorities. (The bail money was later refunded when the charges were withdrawn.)
Friday, Nov. 10
UCLA defeats Georgia Tech 63–60 in Shanghai. The three players did not play in the game.
Saturday, Nov. 11
UCLA’s men’s basketball team heads back to the United States. Ball, Riley and Hill remain in their hotel with director of basketball administration Doug Erickson.
Sunday, Nov. 12
President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping. At some point during his 12-day trip to Asia, Trump says that he discussed the arrest of the three players.
Tuesday, Nov. 14
The three players were informed that they could leave China as the charges against them were withdrawn. The three players board a flight back to Los Angeles.
Wednesday, Nov. 15
Trump tweets wondering whether the three players will thank him for his assistance in releasing them from their detention in China.
“Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump?” he tweeted. “They were headed for 10 years in jail!”
Ball, Riley and Hill meet with the media at a news conference back on UCLA’s campus. The three players accept responsibility for their actions and apologize. They all thanked Trump in their remarks.
Head coach Steve Alford also thanked Trump for his assistance and announced that the three players were suspended from the team indefinitely. The players are not allowed to suit up, practice or travel with the team.
Thursday,Nov. 16
Trump tweets about the three players and nearly ends any future discussion of the matter with “HAVE A GREAT LIFE!”
To the three UCLA basketball players I say: You’re welcome, go out and give a big Thank You to President Xi Jinping of China who made…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2017
….your release possible and, HAVE A GREAT LIFE! Be careful, there are many pitfalls on the long and winding road of life!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2017
Sunday, Nov. 19
LaVar Ball is asked by ESPN about Trump’s role in helping assist his son’s release from China. Ball responds by saying, “Who?What was he over there for? Don’t tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out.”
As long as my boy’s back here, I’m fine,” LaVar Ball added. “I’m happy with how things were handled. A lot of people like to say a lot of things that they thought happened over there. Like I told him, ‘They try to make a big deal out of nothing sometimes.’ I’m from L.A. I’ve seen a lot worse things happen than a guy taking some glasses. My son has built up enough character that one bad decision doesn’t define him. Now if you can go back and say when he was 12 years old he was shoplifting and stealing cars and going wild, then that’s a different thing.”
Trump took to Twitter to issue his response.
“Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!”
Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2017
Monday, Nov. 20
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that Trump’s tweet was a rhetorical response to LaVar Ball’s criticism.
“It was a rhetorical response to the criticism by the father,” Sander said. “I think the President was happy to see the release of these individuals and have them back in the United States.”
LaVar Ball goes on CNN to discuss Trump’s most recent comments. The interview with Chris Cuomo resulted in hilarity that was received with jokes on social media. Ball continues to downplay Trump’s role in the process.
“I would’ve said ‘Thank you’ if he would’ve put him on his plane and took him home,” Ball said. “Then I would’ve said, ‘Thank you Mr. Trump for taking my boys out of China and taking them back to the U.S.’ There’s a lot of room on that plane. I would have said thank you kindly to that.”
.
LaVar Ball on why he didn’t thank President Trump for bringing his son, LiAngelo Ball, home: “I would’ve said thank you if he would’ve put him on his plane and took him home. … There’s a lot of room on that plane” https://t.co/1HKetn552b pic.twitter.com/7BQhH0ZdyQ
— CNN (@CNN) November 21, 2017
.
LaVar Ball, father of UCLA player LiAngelo Ball, says he did more to help his son than President Trump: “I helped my son get out of (China). … I had some people that had boots on the ground that knew the situation” https://t.co/G8xFE4BI2F pic.twitter.com/0dsYlHYLXB
— CNN (@CNN) November 21, 2017
After about 20 minutes of being interviewed, Ball refused to thank Trump. Instead, Hhe ended the interview by saying, “Tell Donald Trump to have a great Thanksgiving because Big Baller is.”
Wednesday, Nov. 20
Trump targeted LaVar Ball on Twitter again.
“It wasn’t the White House, it wasn’t the State Department, it wasn’t father LaVar’s so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence – IT WAS ME,” Trump tweeted. “Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair. Just think…LaVar, you could have spent the next 5 to 10 years during Thanksgiving with your son in China, but no NBA contract to support you. But remember LaVar, shoplifting is NOT a little thing. It’s a really big deal, especially in China. Ungrateful fool!”
Lavar Ball Sneakers
Lavar Ball Sneakers photo
Lavar Ball Kobe Bryant
This is what LaVar said about Kobe Bryant
“How many times does a player get to play with his favorite player? Probably never. Yes. That’s why Kobe don’t like him that much. Because he said, ‘I like LeBron.’
“LeBron’s always been his guy though.”
Lavar Ball Facebook
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Lavar Ball Twitter
Lavar Ball Interview
LaVar Ball opens up about the JBA, his own failed athletic career, and how his boys (and LeBron) can beat the Warriors
Why does the [Junior Basketball Association] need to exist? What can you offer this league that other routes can’t?
What it can offer is getting paid to be a professional. Another thing is you can make more money off the court than you do on the court. We’re the only ones giving 60 percent of jersey sales to the kids. So it also give you a jump start on what you want to be a professional at.
If you want to be a professional athlete, you don’t need to spend 50 percent of your time in class, which you’re not gonna use anyway, and 50 percent trying to play ball. Now you can be 100 percent in. If you really that guy, this is the way to go. If you’re only going be in college for a semester anyway, if you really that guy.
Not everyone wants to go to school. Some guys might be blessed with being 6’10 and running and jumping better than anybody, so they want to be a professional athlete. There’s nothing wrong with that. Like I said, we give them a platform and we also give them some money in their pocket. Nobody else is doing that.
Why is it important to you to give these kids a chance?
It’s important because I came up with the decision to do it. If I want to do something, I’m gonna go ahead and do it. I don’t need to wait for people to say ‘I need to line up 10 investment guys before even getting started.’ I mapped out what we had to do, I mapped out the budget, I feel like I’ve done it
A lot of people want to do this but they don’t want to put their hands in their pockets. They always talked about it. These kids going into schools for a semester or two or whatever making the university all this money, because everybody is coming to watch a ball player. Twenty thousand people ain’t coming to watch no spelling champ.
You talk about education. They will take a guy and say hey we giving him a free education for this. That’s like you doing something for me and Instead of paying you money, I give you 10,000 donuts. I’m like ‘Hey man these $10,000 donuts are going to be free.’ And you’re looking at it like, ‘what am I getting from these free donuts?’ Nothing.
So what I’m saying is they’re offering these kids a free education but it’s doing nothing for them as far as being in athletics.
Do you think if you had something like the JBA when you were growing up, you would have had a better opportunity in your athletic career?
Yeah, most definitely. I loved playing sports. But what we heard was ‘Hey, education education education.’ You don’t have to be a genius to run and catch a football. You don’t have to be a genius to slam dunk a ball. You just got to be able be physically capable of doing something. And that something is the athleticism, strength to advance in your field.
Is there something that happened in your own life that made you think kids need this to get a chance?
No. I just thought of it. I liked what a guy said a while back [ed. note: he’s referring to NCAA president Mark Emmert). He said if people are coming to college to go to the pros, then they don’t need to be here. Usually they say in order to do anything to go forward, you need to go to college. It has the best weight rooms, the best therapy, the best sports, the best education. So if someone wants to be an athlete, as opposed to being a doctor or a lawyer, it shouldn’t matter. It should be the preference of the human being.
They don’t tell doctors and lawyers, ‘Hey, you can’t run a mile in six minutes, you can’t bench press 250 pounds, you can’t go to your computer class or your English class.’ But yet they will tell a basketball player if you can’t pass this Spanish test or this chemistry test, what does that have to do with basketball? You can’t get on this court.
Do you feel like you got a fair shot in your own athletic career?
No. No I didn’t get a fair shot. And that’s why you have to be in the right place at the right time. You got to have somebody behind you.
As far as being athletic, can’t nobody could touch this. I was very strong and fast, could jump. I ain’t never pay for college. Always got a scholarship. Went to a football team without even playing football in college. Basketball, got real big after I got out of high school.
But as far as playing anything, as far as baseball, football, basketball, diving, running track, high jump. I did all that. I’m just an athlete. If I would have went to a combine with more teams there watching me …
I just walked on to the Jets. That’s like having a bargain basement sale, you go down to the basement, you show up bringing the goods up the front first floor, everybody shopping down there. But everybody don’t get to see down there. So I didn’t have a lot of teams coming after me. Where if I would have gone to the combine, maybe another team be like `hey come on over here. We’ll take a chance on you.`
Even with the Jets, in the changing in the coaching. Went from Pete Carroll to Rich Kotite. Just as things start getting good they let go the coach. It’s OK, I don’t look back at it and be like ‘wow, I could have done things differently.’ Everything is supposed to be working out the way it is.
LiAngelo recently joined this league after not getting a shot at summer league. Do you think your middle son is misunderstood? He doesn’t have the hype of Lonzo or Melo. What can the JBA do for him?
It’s a better story. Everybody sees Lonzo as the one that’s supposed to make it. Everybody looking at Melo as the one who’s next. So I have three guys that are all supposed to make it. You gotta have negativity somewhere.
And that has come down on my middle son, who happens to be the one with the pro body already, the best shooter in the family. That’s OK. It’s just a route you have to take. The JBA is good, it allows a place for people to see you make plays, shoot the three-pointer at a high clip, and score the ball. And he’s a heck of a player.
He’s only 19 years old. People act like he’s 25 years old and he’s on his last chance of being a professional. He’s so going to get better and Melo is going to get bette. They get to get back to winning and playing basketball, something that they love to do.
It’s not like OK he didn’t get drafted he has to go overseas. People wanted him overseas, but he don’t want to play overseas. So he can play over here and get better. It’s just basketball. Like I said, he has the different route, but at the end of the day, I want all my boys on the Lakers.
Why is this good for LaMelo?
It’s the right route because we have guys in our league that are 20 years old. And Melo is 16. He can’t get this type of competition against people in high school. Not even in college. These guys can play.
And we playing professional rules. So the length of the game makes you better, shooting from the three-point line makes you better, all NBA rules. So it gives him a jump on his career. That’s what he wants to do, that’s what all my boys want to do.
So this is the perfect route for them. I made sure they could be 100 percent into their craft like anybody else who wants to be a movie star or something like that, starting studying and know your lines, it’s the same thing.
What’s the plan for him next? He would have been at UCLA a year from now but now he can’t play college basketball.
If you really that guy, they will find you no matter where you are. If you can play and you got the talent to play at that next level, guess what they’re going to find you. If not, guess what, you’re not that guy who you thought you were.
We don’t need the NCAA. He’s just got to get stronger, faster, and when it’s time to get drafted, people will be like oh, we’ll look at him in the draft. He’s already produced, he’s already been a pro player, he’s already on a good line, better than most people. The thing about it he gets more experience from playing.
Basketball, you can only run so many pick-and-rolls. You can either put that ball in the hole or you can’t. You either make a great decision with the ball or you can’t. But it’s only more difficult if you make it what it is. Like I said, one of my boys is good, two of them are great, but three of them is unbeatable.
Do you think the JBA would have been better for Lonzo than UCLA?
Of course. There’s talented guys, guys are more talented than what you see at mid-major universities.
Lonzo, all he has to do is play. He was already considered when he was coming out of high school, they were already talking about him as a pro, he was already training like Jason Kidd and other professional athletes. He’s already in that bracket.
And still when you go to college, you still not shooting the pro three-pointer, you still not being a pro, they just want to see you play and the statistics that you have. But the NCAA, they’re trying to make that money off you first, that’s why they’re still one-and-done. They know you already a professional, so we might as well create a hubbub about you so everybody comes and watch the games. Now you got 15-20K people watching one game.
Like I said, the smartest in the college, they don’t draw 20K people to come watch them in the spelling bee. But they’ll watch a guy who’s talented playing sports. You can be the best ball player and you getting a C and D in classes, but they’re gonna keep you in school as long as you making money for them. They’ll get you a tutor.
Let’s say a kid expected to get 20 rebounds and 20 points. He only gets two rebounds and one point, but you’re an A-student. You gotta go. That’s how it is.
Do you think Lonzo would have went no. 2 in the JBA?
He would have been No. 1. On the fact that Lonzo does something that nobody does, and that’s make everybody better on the court. Who wouldn’t want to start a team with that? Who doesn’t start their team with that guy making everybody better? Forget about scoring 30 points, 30 rebounds, that’s individual. But if you can get a kid who basically makes everybody around him better, common sense tells you to get him first.
LeBron said he was excited to play with Lonzo. Do you think that’s a partnership that can work? How would you coach a LeBron and Lonzo?
How would I coach LeBron and Lonzo? Guess what, less coaching is the best coaching. Let them do what they do. Certain players you cannot coach. It seems like you coaching them but you don’t have to coach them because they’re special.
You don’t coach a Magic Johnson, you don’t coach a LeBron, you don’t coach really a Lonzo. They understand the game, they smart, they understand. You can have some input what you’re seeing on the outside, but also the captain of the ship knows how to do what he does. That’s what makes those people special. Lonzo’s IQ is so high and LeBron’s IQ is so high they gonna very good together.
I don’t think nobody gets to play with their favorite player. I don’t think nobody gets to do that. He’s in a special situation right here.
That’s what I was telling the Lakers about getting all three of my boys. The chemistry would be so wild on the fact that they play so fast together, and they be the first ones that LeBron is playing with that’s not worried about how much money they’re making. They just want to win championships. After you win one with a team, most guys say hey let me get my money. And that’s how you break up these good teams.
Back in the day, a lot of guys didn’t worry about the money. They were like hey let’s keep this camaraderie going. We’re gonna stay on this team because we’re gonna be champions. It’s not like that now. You be champions one time and someone offers you more money and your own team and this and that, and I’m gone. That’s why they can’t stay together.
But like I said, with my boys and LeBron, that’s my boy’s favorite player. They play so fast and the chemistry they have together will beat the Golden State Warriors. My boys could beat that team easy, on the fact that they play faster than them.
With the Lakers signing LeBron, you’re going to have a bigger spotlight on you now ….
There’s a spotlight on me already on the fact that I’m doing so many things. People get stuck on LaVar Ball is Lonzo’s father. Alright, but I’m also the CEO of a clothing brand. I’m also the owner of water (ed. note: yes, LaVar Ball sells his own brand of water). I’m also the owner of the league. I did it on my own as far as the multiple things that I’ve done.
And I’m going to create this empire so big that you’re gonna look back at it and be like, ‘man they should have paid that guy $1 billion and let him go on his way.’ It’s going to get so big now.
The money is not important. I want to build the biggest empire ever. They gonna look at it and be like, where did this start? When did guys start coming into the league with their own brand?
I’m a history maker. A lot of things are changing. You can look at what they trying to do now. You hear about the No. 1 guys spurning Nike and Adidas, there’s a reason for that. I came out with my own brand, so Puma was like, ‘maybe we can do something a little different.’ And we’re not even hearing a big deal about Puma.
But I’m saying guys want to do their own thing. All I want to see is the ripple effect.
What they don’t understand, like when I told [Nike] they could get the co-branding for a billion dollars, and I said that was a good deal, and everybody laughs. It’s like the league. Everybody says he’s not gonna get this league going, he just talking.
And then all the sudden this league pops up, something that has the potential to be one of the greatest things ever on the fact that maybe in 5-10 years, maybe we have 30 teams. How about I create my own league now. And now you have two leagues like we had the ABA and NBA. It has potential. If the money’s right, they got something with $10 to $15 million per year. Now I can make the Big Baller League. Now I can create another 450 jobs, now the NBA has the compete with the Big Baller League. That is a possibility. We have the potential to do that.
Look at Blockbuster and Netflix, they’re the same thing. It’s like Uber vs. taxis. Same thing. But this is basketball, so they don’t believe it can happen.
How does a guy with so many interests keep them all straight? How do you do it all?
It’s having a vision, believing in yourself, and go from there. And not let money guide you. A lot of people are stuck on that bag. What I mean by that is it’s OK to have that money, but let’s say you bought everything you would want to buy. What’s next? You bought everything.
You better have a passion for doing something. Like I tell the guys, the key to life is not having all the money in the world. The key to life is having a passion that you happen to get paid for. You gotta love it.
It’s just like guys that go into real estate. Some of them go in there to make money, then they get to be million and billionaires and then wow, maybe they still like selling houses no matter how many sell. Maybe they say, ‘I can buy this building right here for $10 million and in two years it might be $20 million. OK I already have enough money.’ But they just like the act of doing that.
It’s like a cook. He can cook all day if he loves to cook. But if you’re a cook and you got to work for somebody you don’t really like and you’re just working making ends meet, they might not have as much fun.
When they look back and see the things I’ve done, they’re gonna say LaVar Ball started all this. It’s gonna be shocking. I’ve already done some business-changing things, like Lonzo coming to the NBA with his own brand. Started my own league. My own shoe. All my boys have signature shoes. Melo is first one ever out of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, everybody to have a signature shoe in high school. At 16 years old. Nobody has done these things. Melo and Gelo get to go over there [ed. note: Lithuania, where they completed a controversial year at BC Vytautas] at such a young age and be professional ball players.
So the things we’re doing, it’s not like they by accident. We are gonna keep thriving and doing our thing, and everybody is going to look back and be like ‘wow that Ball family really did it.’ It’s just make people open their eyes and see other things they can do and believe in themselves. And knowing their self-worth.