Lonzo and LaMelo Ball’s father, LaVar, once claimed he could beat Michael Jordan one-on-one in their primes. If that’s true, he’s not the only one in his family who could take on the Bulls icon. Because according to Lonzo Ball, his mother, Tina, was the best basketball player in the family.
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The Bulls star and his brother, LiAngelo were guests on the latest episode of Angel Reese’s Unapologetically Angel podcast. The duo provided insight into the hardships of being famous young and how they were fortunate to have a strong support system.
While their father pushed them, their mother Tina, was more restrained. However, her laidback and loving demeanor had little bearing on their opinion of her ability as a player. Lonzo said,
“People don’t know [Tina] was better than [LaVar] at basketball. She’s the best basketball player in the family or at least she was. She hooped for real.”
While Tina is the least famous member of her family, her resume speaks for itself. She garnered a lot of attention after an amazing high school basketball career. During her senior season at Alta Lomo High School, she averaged 15.8 points and 18.2 rebounds per game.
After graduating, Tina decided to stay close to home in California and attended Cal State Los Angeles. She spent four seasons with the Golden Eagles, establishing herself as one of the program’s greatest players.
Tina is the eighth-highest scorer in the university’s history with 935 points. She ranks fourth in rebounds with 627, and fifth in blocks with 60. Her best statistical season came in her junior year when she averaged 13.2 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 43% from the field.
Unfortunately, she graduated in 1991, and the WNBA didn’t have its first season until 1997. That meant her basketball career practically ended after she graduated from Cal State. However, she did meet LaVar before leaving the program.
He started his collegiate career at West Los Angeles College, where he had a few standout performances, which piqued the curiosity of bigger programs. Ball transferred to Washington State during the 1987–88 season, but struggled to make an impact. He averaged only 2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds across 26 games.
After one season, he transferred to California State Los Angeles, where he met Tina. The college sweethearts got married in 1997 and became parents for the first time that same year.
Tina and LaVar’s basketball careers never took off for varying reasons. However, they raised three sons who made it to the NBA, a commendable feat.
