Lonzo Ball and his boisterous father LaVar Ball are headed to the Big Easy.
The Los Angeles Lakers will trade Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round draft picks to the New Orleans Pelicans to acquire Anthony Davis, ESPN reported Saturday. And while many basketball fans tuned in to hear what erstwhile Lakers executive Magic Johnson was going to say about the deal, don’t forget the patriarch of the Big Baller Brand.
LaVar Ball told ESPN that he guarantees the Lakers would never win another NBA title after dealing away his son.
“Like I say again, it will be the worst move the Lakers ever did in their life and they will never win another championship,” the elder Ball said. “Guarantee it.”
LaVar Ball made a name for himself as a media personality and the founder and CEO of Big Baller Brand, a sneaker company he tried to elevate to the stature of Nike and adidas (but which has received an F grade from the Better Business Bureau).
“They’re going to regret it,” the father said. “I’m going to have fun with it. Because I told you all, it was crashing down. Now [the Lakers] completely crashed, but at least my son got off the boat before the thing exploded. I gave them a chance. You can rewind it and go back. I said if you get the three Ball brothers, you can survive this. You let him go, oh, it’s going to be a cold day in hell. Trust and believe that.”
The former second overall pick in the NBA draft, Lonzo Ball averaged 10 points per game over two seasons with the Lakers but missed almost half of last season with an ankle injury. His younger brothers, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball, have not yet made the NBA.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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