For all those times LaVar Ball touted his son’s greatness, spoken on his behalf and heightened the public pressure around him, UCLA guard Lonzo Ball apparently cannot thank his father enough.
For Father’s Day, Ball expressed warm and fuzzy gratitude in a Foot Locker commercial on the various ways his father supported him.
“Of course there’s that big day when your dad berates your high school coach in front of an entire crowd for not getting you enough touches,” Ball said.
Ball then retraced his memory to “that special moment when your dad shoots you down and tells you where you’re going to go to college.” Ball still remembers vividly when his dad “copyrights your name to make it part of a family lifestyle brand.” And who could forget when LaVar “went on First Take and shouted back and forth with Stephen A. Smith about how you’re already better than the reigning MVP?”
Lonzo Ball sure couldn’t. Neither could the general public. So instead of downplaying the attention, Lonzo Ball poked fun at in a recent commercial that also featured Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox, Florida State forward Jonathan Isaac and Duke forward Jayson Tatum.
In a tongue-in cheek, tone, Lonzo Ball gushed about how his father granted “all those interviews from the stands that are in college games,” how he had “public spats with the all-time greats” and indicated “to 29 out of 30 teams to not bother drafting you.”
The lone team is the Lakers, who brought Ball last week for a workout that left him unimpressed with his conditioning. Still, many in NBA circles believe the Lakers will select Ball after leading the Bruins with a nation-leading 7.6 assists per game and averaging 14.6 points while shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from 3-point range.
The Foot Locker commercial will air nationally on ESPN during the live broadcast of the 2017 NBA Draft on June 22. Then, Ball will find out if the Lakers select him with their No. 2 pick. Should the Lakers draft Ball, he would assume primary ball-handling duties while D’Angelo Russell would slide to the off-ball position.
Apparently, Ball has already admired Russell for something else. Last year, he filmed a Foot Locker commercial with Sixers forward Ben Simmmons, Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns and Suns guard Devin Booker that entailed making light of his phone-taping incident with Nick young.
“The NBA Draft is a milestone I’ve been working toward for a long time and it’s exciting to celebrate it with a Foot Locker commercial,” Ball said in a statement released by Foot Locker. “I loved last year’s spot with Ben Simmons and D’Angelo Russell and I love how they give us players the opportunity to make light out of things,” Ball said. “It’s been a big year for my family, and I know we’re just getting started. My dad and I both love the humor of the spot and I’m glad I got to have a little fun around the topic before going to the league.”
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