With two of his sons — Lonzo and LaMelo — in the NBA, and the third, LiAngelo, making waves as a rapper, LaVar Ball’s game plan for their careers seems to have worked to perfection. However, the father of three has another elaborate scheme up his sleeve. One in which his three boys would team up on the court and bring home an NBA Championship. A win-win for all involved.
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The Ball family reunion idea was presented by LaVar on Stacey King’s podcast when the host brought up the topic of the end of Lonzo Ball’s four-year $85 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. The three-time NBA champion asked LaVar whether he’d like to see his oldest son jump ship and contribute to a winning franchise.
“The only team close to a championship to me is all my boys on the same team,” the 57-year-old responded.
“All of them on the same team, you can’t beat them ’cause I taught them to play together. Like, I tell people — and this is just how I am — you ain’t never gonna win no championship with just Melo [Ball],” added LaVar.
LaMelo, however, would be vexed to hear his father speak about him this way. After all, the words hint that the Charlotte Hornets star can’t win on his own.
Then again, what LaVar seems to imply is that his sons will thrive and excel when they play together because that’s how he trained them.
“He [LaMelo] gonna fill the seats up. But by himself, nope. To win a championship, you need somebody really, really good who make everybody better. That’s Lonzo… And then you need that third person. The third person gotta be really good but humble. That’s Gelo [LiAngelo],” elaborated LaVar.
Much like in 2017 after Lonzo’s draft, the Ball family patriarch seems to have come out in his campaigning boots. With LiAngelo a vacant free agent and Lonzo heading into free agency himself, LaVar is telling teams to invest in the entire family.
“When you have those three for the recipe, you’re gonna win a championship,” he reiterated.
The closest LaVar came to actualizing his dream was in 2021. LaMelo invited his brother LiAngelo to train with him in Charlotte. Impressed by the middle child’s performance, the Hornets gave him a spot on their Summer League team.
Will the Ball brothers team up in Charlotte?
On his debut in Vegas, LiAngelo netted five three-pointers in 16 minutes, impressing many with his range and accuracy. It earned him a contract with the franchise in October 2021. However, the next day, the team inexplicably waived the Ball brother.
LiAngelo served a similarly brief stint in Charlotte the following season, signing a non-guaranteed contract that would be waived within a month. And the 26-year-old hasn’t played organized basketball in nearly a year.
However, there is a high likelihood that LiAngelo’s brothers could team up next season. With Lonzo entering free agency, the Hornets could sign him to play alongside LaMelo in their backcourt.
Lonzo is a proven point-of-attack defender and, as his father mentioned, a pass-first guard who can unlock Melo’s scoring potential. The final game of the Bulls-Hornets regular season series in April could be the last time we see the Ball brothers on opposing sides of the court.
