Los Angeles Lakers: The pros and cons of drafting Lonzo Ball
By Jason Oliver
Con No. 1: With Lonzo comes his father, LaVar
As a professional sports franchise, you would expect them to ignore the family influence and get on with the job. This isn’t high school – a player’s mother or father can’t call the coach and demand their child gets more playing time.
Without question though, LaVar Ball would have the gumption to try if he’s unhappy with Lonzo’s position in the rotation. This is, after all, the guy that told USA Today:
"“Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one. He cannot stop me one-on-one. He better make every shot ’cause he can’t go around me. He’s not fast enough. And he can only make so many shots outside before I make every bucket under the rim.”"
They say ignorance is bliss, but it won’t be for the fans of the team that drafts his son.
Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour were going to offer Lonzo Ball a $10M deal over 5 years, now he's sticking to BBB because his dad wanted $3B.
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 30, 2017
Drafting Lonzo, and in turn, LaVar, will have no bearing on how the team operates, but the fans will wear the brunt of his desperation for fame and recognition.
In an attempt to benefit from his son’s impending fame and fortune, LaVar declined a reported $10 million shoe deal with any one of Nike, Adidas and Under Armour. Instead, he opted to create his own Big Baller Brand that, of course, would directly benefit his bank account as well as Lonzo’s.