LaVar Ball’s 15 Minutes is Up
One of the most significant wastes of airtime recently is the cartoon that is LaVar Ball.
I don’t know which is most aggravating: the constant idiotic comments, the laughable shoe campaign, or the media segments devoted to covering Mr. Ball’s antics.
In life, we have all known those individuals who talk a good game, but rarely possess the substance to back that talk up. Ball has demonstrated new levels of lunacy with some of the statements he’s uttered in the past few months. I nearly fell off my couch when he mentioned on one particular segment that it was okay to exploit his sons, because UCLA does the same thing. His claim about being able to defeat Michael Jordan in a game of one on one is laughable. His blaming the three “slow white guys” for UCLA’s NCAA tournament loss to Kentucky is asinine. An interview Ball gave on the night of the NBA draft prompted Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons to suggest that Ball must have ingested some “crazy pills.”
Yet, the networks still looked for any opportunity to place a microphone in front of his face.
And what about his Big Baller Brand?
He placed a $495 price tag on his son Lonzo’s signature Z02 basketball shoe, after telling multiple shoe companies that he would only consider a shoe contract if it involved all three of his sons, and if the proposed deal was in excess of $1 billion. He made this demand despite the fact that at the time, not one of his sons had played a minute of professional basketball. The $495 shoe would be almost three times the cost of Nike’s LeBron XIV, worn by the NBA’s most accomplished player, and produced by one of the world’s most popular shoe companies.
An article on cbssports.com states that the Big Baller Brand sold 210 pairs of the Z02 on the day of its debut. And to some, that might be admirable. But I can’t help but wonder: how many pairs would the brand have sold if the shoe were more affordable? If only 210 people bought the shoe (assuming each customer bought one pair), what does that say about how many people chose NOT to buy the shoes? Ball is not breaking any new ground, despite what some might think, by developing an overpriced shoe. Affordability and quality are two significant concepts he has not yet grasped, evidenced by the low sales of the shoes, and the reluctance of the shoe’s namesake to wear them in recent NBA summer league games. A loud and ignorant salesman has never motivated me to make a purchase.
We live in an age where plenty of talentless and/or intelligently devoid individuals can interject their image or opinions into the social stratosphere. Anyone with a smartphone can log into social media and subject us to new levels of ignorance. As a content producer and a huge sports fan, I rely on media professionals to make informed decisions about the type of product they are ultimately responsible for. Sports has always been a very exciting and authentic source of entertainment. Let’s not diminish it, especially with a man who will do anything or say anything for camera time. I would much rather hear about Russell Wilson providing support to young children suffering from cancer. Or Hue Jackson’s efforts to construct shelters for individuals victimized by human trafficking. I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in being a “Big Baller.”

