LaVar Ball says son Lonzo already better than Kawhi Leonard

Outspoken father made comments in ESPN radio interview

SAN ANTONIO – LaVar Ball, the outspoken father of current NBA Lakers guard Lonzo Ball, has once again made headlines with another ridiculous comment, this time comparing his son to Spurs All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard.

Ball made the claim that his son was better than the NBA Finals MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year during a radio interview with ESPN’s Marcellus Wiley and Travis Rodgers.

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When asked his opinion on a possible Lakers trade involving his son Lonzo and Kawhi, he made the following comments:

“Stop it! … Hell no. Lonzo, I’m gonna tell you what he does, makes everyone on the team better,” LaVar Ball said. “Who don’t want to start a team with that? You put Kawhi on there, he won’t make everyone better. He’s gonna do his thing. He’s a specialty guy.”

Despite playing in only nine games this season for San Antonio due to a quadriceps injury, Leonard’s résumé still includes an NBA championship, a Finals MVP award, two Defensive Player of the Year awards and two All-Star appearances.

And while there have been reports of tension between the Spurs and Leonard, head coach Gregg Popovich and Leonard are expected to meet this summer to discuss plans moving forward, with one of the key issues being whether the Spurs offer Leonard a supermax contract, worth $219 million over five years.

Lonzo on the other hand just finished his first NBA season, starting just 50 games while averaging a mere 10.2 points. The Lakers finished 35-47 and did not make the playoffs.


About the Author:

Ben Spicer is a digital journalist who works the early morning shift for KSAT.