LaMelo Ball gave an interview answer that proves just how amazing LaVar Ball was as a father to 3 kids who’ve grown to become hoopers.
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The amount of hate that the Ball brothers have gotten over the past 5 years or so is barely believable at this point. These are 3 talented, hard-working young men, of whom only LiAngelo has any black mark in their past (his shoplifting incident during a UCLA China tour).
Yet, when Lonzo Ball was drafted no. 2 overall by the LA Lakers in 2017, he saw all kinds of negativity. People were baying for his blood, waiting for him to fail before he’d even set foot on the court.
All of this only happened because LaVar Ball was a tad overenthusiastic while talking his own kids up. LaVar went on several national sports talk shows and gassed his kids in front of all of USA.
Where ordinarily 3 such brothers would receive a great amount of love, LaVar’s bluster proved counterproductive. People’s sharper knives and the Lakers front office’s short run of patience meant that Lonzo was a keystone in the AD trade.
Since that year, his brother LaMelo Ball has been selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the no. 3 pick. In contrast to Lonzo, LaMelo has had a lot more love thrown his way in his initial NBA seasons.
LaMelo Ball gives a level-headed answer about high stakes and pressure in NBA basketball
Ultimately, the Ball Brothers trio have known for a while that they’re meant for the biggest stages. The ability to maintain composure and play through pressure-cooker situations is an integral part of being an elite sportsperson.
LaVar Ball seems to have trained his kids in good stead when it comes to such situations. That’s what we can glean from the answer that LaMelo Ball gave in a recent interview when asked about pressure on basketball courts:
“The way my pоps had mе, yоu can’t get nеrvous in baskеtball. Yоu’re nеrvous when yоu dоn’t havе nowhere to go, sоmeone has a gun to yоur hеad or yоu dоn’t have any food. But playing baskеtball? Nah. Never nervous.”
“Nervous is when you ain’t got nowhere to go, somebody got a gun to your head, or you ain’t have no food… that’s nervous. Just coming out here playing basketball? Nah, never nervous.”
– LaMelo Ball on if he ever feels nervous playing basketball pic.twitter.com/oC8O9jH9UH
— ProCity Hoops (@ProCityHoops) January 20, 2022
One of the most desirable traits within any young prospect in a sport is their ability to keep a level head. Melo’s attitude is fully in line with that of the greats.