FEEL THE GAME BOBBY MOTUS Lonzo’s burden

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Thursday, August 17, 2017
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AS THE second pick overall in this year’s NBA Rookie Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers probably have gotten an heir apparent to the vacated throne of Kobe Bryant. Lonzo Ball had given justice to all the surrounding hype when he was declared as Summer League MVP. All the talent and high basketball IQ aside, an unpleasant shadow is cast whenever and wherever he goes.

That shadow is the brash and ridiculously loud father who declares anything without thinking to anyone who cares to listen. Disrespectful and confident of his contradictions, the world according to LaVar is loaded with controversial statements and actions that overplay his son’s hardcourt abilities.

Among his eye-popping, eyebrow-raising statements are – “Lonzo’s going to be better than Jason Kidd” and is “better than Steph Curry right now.” He also described his son as “Magic Johnson with a jump shot.” The elder Ball also said that the NBA will be easier for his son than college ball and that he will win more than six NBA championships. He also guaranteed in November that the UCLA Bruins will win the NCAA title. Yes, they did not.

LaVar loves to talk and most of the time, his statements hold no value but there are times that his comments are damaging and indifferent, often demeaning the opposite sex. He insists no wrongdoings on his often misguided convictions like the run in with a female referee in an AAU game. He threatened to pull his team out when she gave him a technical foul and demanded she be replaced. You guessed it, the T was for constant complaining and surprisingly, the female ref was replaced.

LaVar insisted from Adidas, who sponsored the tournament, for a substitute referee and was granted one. Because the elder Ball is a major draw in local tournaments and Adidas is courting Lonzo for a multiyear apparel contract, the company gave in to the demand.

Court Club Elite, a group that trains and develops game officials for amateur and professional levels, supplied the referees to the tournament and they decided to end their relationship with Adidas saying that the removal of the female referee is “…something that shall not and will not be accepted within the officiating community.”

The group sided the female ref’s actions (a Division 1 official in the women’s NCAA basketball) further saying that “enforcing and addressing the sporting behavior were defendable and fitting of the behavior (LaVar’s) displayed.” If your team is behind by double digits, throw some tantrums, get double T’d, pull out your team and conveniently blame the ref. That’s the LaVar Ball method.  You still lose the game though.

Further, the National Basketball Referees Association was not happy with Adidas and LaVar saying the offensive behavior and intimidation will not be tolerated and such actions insults the basketball community.

Adidas, because they have a more profitable priority if they can get sneaker free agent Lonzo to sign above the dotted line, dropped all what is right and bowed down to LaVar’s demands. Because of the negative impact, the shoe giant belatedly issued a statement admitting to their mistake and saying it made a wrong decision.

As to the shoe game, Under Armour and Nike reportedly were not interested in doing a deal with Lonzo mainly because of his father who wants the companies to co-brand with them. Frankly, why would a multibillion-dollar brand with worldwide interests ever hook up with a struggling and unknown brand with a loudmouth as CEO. If co-branding is their target, LaVar should be reminded that Nike gave Michael Jordan his own brand when he became one of the world’s most famous athletes.

Their Big Baller Brand signature ZO2, which looks like an LA Gear-Hush Puppies crossbreed, retails for a stiff $425, at least. Strong chance we could be finding these kicks at Payless and some other discount stores in the in the near future.

Lonzo said that he can’t change his dad and what he does on the court is completely different from his dad’s actions or statements. “He’s off the court and doesn’t impact how I approach the court. It doesn’t affect me in any type of way. I play the same way every game.”

Well said, but LaVar’s stubbornness and insistence can cast a long shadow on Lonzo’s NBA career./PN
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