We all know freshman UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball. He's really, really good. He will be a top 3 NBA pick without question.
Or will he?
A lot of times when there's a player with all the talent in the world, there's some sort of baggage. Could be a big ego, off-field (or court) issues, selfishness, etc.
You can also have very outspoken parents.
Lonzo's father, LaVar, has been in the news a lot this season. From saying that his kid is better than Steph Curry, to getting into verbal jabs with Charles Barkley, to saying he could "kill" Michael Jordan if they were both in their prime in 1-on-1 basketball. Let us not forget the fact that he wants all three of his sons, Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo, to have a combined billion (yes billion with a B) dollar shoe contract.
LaVar is adding so much unnecessary pressure to his kids, at some point, it will come back to bite them. I get that he has all the confidence in the world in his kids and that's great. Tell them that.
Why do you feel the need to always be in the public eye with these comments?
If I were a general manager of a team, I'd be talking with my staff and weighing the pros and cons of having someone like that around. Yeah, the kid is talented but the constant chatter of his parent in your ear, in the news, on social media has to be a huge distraction.
What happens if Lonzo makes it to the NBA and doesn't start right away? Are we going to hear LaVar complaining that the team is making a mistake by not having his kid start?
Lonzo will most likely end up with the Lakers and they are in such turmoil right now, all they need is to have LaVar hovering and adding to the mess.
At some point, Lonzo should tell his father, "enough is enough".