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I hate to say it but up until I watched that train wreck of an interview on CNN, I was a bit of a Lavar fan. He seems like an enthusiastic and empowering father and his next level antics have been making me cringe for a while now while still giving me a reason to pay him attention. I get that he wants his kids to succeed and so far he has definitely put them in a position to do that but the line is being crossed into behaviour that is harming the family image and how we view the Big Baller Brand.
First we see the way Lonzo has been received by the league. The kid has two triple doubles, setting a record by becoming the youngest to record one in the NBA, his plus minus has begun to steadily climb and the Lakers are a better team than they were last year but opposing teams have taken note of his father's gloating and are taking it personally, making each night especially difficult on him. The media has taken it to another level, after he said Lonzo was better than Steph Curry while heaping mountains of hype on his shoulders, his son was destined to disappoint. Ball has struggled with his shot and as should have been expected he looks like a rookie but he continues to get roasted online, often being labelled a bust and having people call for him to ride the bench or move to the G league.
Now most recently the situation with son LiAngelo Ball has pushed things over the edge for me. While in China with UCLA basketball, LiAngelo Ball and two teammates were caught shoplifting in an expensive designer store next to their hotel. I'm not familiar with Chinese law but it seemed he was due for some jail time which, from any movie where a foreign jail is represented, is scary as hell. This is where Donald Trump comes in, I know, America is a freak show. While in the country on trade business Trump got word of the situation and allegedly asked president Xi to allow the boys to return home and pardon them, which the Chinese president did. The kids made their way safely back to America and all three made statements thanking the president for his help. That's it right? End of story. Don't forget big daddy Ball is involved and we could count on a sea of microphones in his face before long. When interviewed Lavar made sure to make a story of it, replying "who?" when asked if he was thankful for what Donald Trump had so graciously done for his family. This is when we all needed to brace for the shit storm. First, a statement from the Commander and Tweet.
Wow, does somebody have a little poopy in their pants? Really, you wish you had left three young American citizens in a Chinese prison because daddy didn't say thank you? The childishness of this old man never ceases to amaze me. Luckily he's dealing with another character in Lavar "Big Baller" Ball who proceeded to take the president's comments and sprint with them, in fact he sprinted all the way to one of the most cringe worthy interviews I've ever seen. The interview went so poorly that he had CNN anchor Chris Cuomo defending the cheeto dust man (Donald Trump) himself!
Reminiscent of a child repeating "I know you are but what am I?" while sticking out his tongue and dancing around like a brat this interview was painful and pointless. Lavar seemed unable to answer any of the questions as if he understood what was being asked, while insinuating that the capable interviewer was entirely clueless. He did himself no favours in terms of earning the respect of the average American, WWE fans excluded.
Before I give too much of my time to this debacle I just need to request that this man doesn't get any more air time. Sure he did predict his son being chosen second overall, he did foresee Lonzo to the lakers but I'm going to need one more miracle before I call him the oracle. Until then, please Lavar, just go away and take Trump with you.