Lonzo Ball's Family: All About the NBA Star's Parents and Siblings

Lonzo Ball's two brothers LaMelo and LiAngelo are also professional basketball players

Lonzo Ball is not just a point guard for the Chicago Bulls — he's also part of a basketball family dynasty.

Lonzo's parents, LaVar and Tina Ball, were both college basketball players at Cal State Los Angeles in the late '80s and early '90s. After they married in 1997, LaVar had a dream to have sons who were all basketball superstars. He has been unapologetic and outspoken about this vision for his family since his sons — Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo — began to generate buzz on the basketball court in 2015.

"Speak it into existence," LaVar told ESPN The Magazine in 2017 about his hoop dreams. "Keep talking about it until it happens."

Related: All 13 Sets of Siblings Currently Playing in the NBA, from the Currys to the Murrays

Born in October 1997, eldest son Lonzo was the first to fulfill his father's prophecy: He verbally committed to play basketball at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as a sophomore in high school and was drafted to the NBA after just one season of college hoops.

LiAngelo Ball, who is a year younger than Lonzo, followed suit and committed to UCLA as a sophomore, though he never played a game for the team. In February 2024, he announced his move to Mexico's professional league, playing for the Astros De Jalisco. Their youngest brother, LaMelo Ball, rounded out the talented trio and was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 2020.

But despite the Ball boys' rise to success, family patriarch LaVar continues to raise his bar. In January 2021, the father-of-three told The Association on Fox that he wanted to see all of his sons on the same NBA team.

"Nobody has ever built a franchise around a family," LaVar said. "That's why I'm saying, do something new. Build around the Ball boys and watch what happens."

From the family's successes on the basketball court to their life on reality TV, here’s everything to know about Lonzo Ball’s brothers and parents.

LaVar said he knew his kids would be basketball stars

LaVar first met Tina when they were both student-athletes at Cal State Los Angeles. The former college basketball player has stated that it wasn't just Tina's good looks he was attracted to — it was her 6-foot stature.

"I keep telling people, I picked her for the genes," LaVar joked to the Orange County Register in 2017.

In another interview with USA Today, LaVar elaborated, "When I first saw her walking down the hall, I just stopped and I said, 'I don't know what me and you are going to do together, but we're going to do something.' "

According to LaVar, that "something" was for him and Tina to have three sons — all of whom would become basketball stars. And after the couple wed in 1997, that's exactly what they did.

"That's why I married my wife ... with the way I'm built, and the way she's built, I knew I was going to have three killers," LaVar told CBS Sports in 2015. "So this thing was planned long ago. Because I knew if you put two basketball players together, this is what you're going to get."

LaVar had a brief football career

Before building his family basketball legacy, LaVar had a short stint as a professional football player in the early '90s. After his college basketball career came to an end, LaVar played a single season of college football at Long Beach City College before he was signed as a free agent by the NFL's New York Jets in 1994, according to ESPN.

LaVar spent two seasons on the Jets' practice squad and one on the Carolina Panthers' practice squad. He played on the World League of American Football's London Monarchs for a season but LaVar's football career was over by the end of the decade and he returned to California to work as a personal trainer.

Former Jets linebacker Marvin Jones recalled LaVar's time on the team. "He was a very athletic guy and raw ... I remember a very confident guy and, yes, he voiced his opinion and was cocky, but overall seemed like a great guy," Jones told ESPN in 2017.

All three Ball brothers were UCLA recruits

Though Lonzo only spent one season at UCLA before heading to the NBA, his younger brothers followed in his footsteps. In April 2015, during his sophomore year of high school, LiAngelo committed to play at UCLA, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Two down, one to go," LaVar told the outlet.

The third, LaMelo, followed just months later: In August 2015, when he was just 13 years old, LaMelo verbally committed to play at UCLA along with his two older brothers, Sports Illustrated reported.

"It is my dream school," LaMelo told the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. "I decided to get it out of the way now instead of waiting for the future."

However, neither LiAngelo nor LaMelo ever played a game for UCLA. In November 2017, LiAngelo and two teammates were arrested on charges of shoplifting in China while traveling with the team. After being released by Chinese authorities and traveling back to L.A., LiAngelo was suspended indefinitely from the team, ESPN reported. LaVar withdrew him from UCLA less than a month later.

LaMelo, who was deemed ineligible for an NCAA scholarship after releasing a shoe with his family's sports apparel brand, BBB, and hiring an agent, also retracted his verbal commitment to UCLA in December 2017. Days later, the two brothers signed to play professionally in Lithuania, the Los Angeles Times reported.

LaMelo went viral in 2017 for scoring 92 points in a high school game

When LaMelo was a 15-year-old sophomore at Chino Hills High School, he earned national attention for scoring 92 points in a single game. The performance led Chino Hills to a 146-123 victory over Los Osos High school, according to the Los Angeles Times.

LaVar was not surprised by his youngest son's breakout performance. "The bigger the stage, the better he likes to play," LaVar said. "He's been scoring like this all his life."

The BBB co-founder added: "This is nothing. He could do it on a daily basis. He loves the game ... He's only going to get better. He's not trying to embarrass anybody. He only wants to be the best player, and he's chasing his brothers."

While the performance was impressive, it also drew some criticism from both local coaches and basketball legends. "You know, the kid was waiting at half court most of the game," Charles Barkley said on ESPN Radio, per USA Today. "Never went back on defense. So I had a problem with it, to be honest with you ... I have a serious problem with that."

Lonzo and LaMelo made NBA history

When LaMelo was selected as the third overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2020 NBA Draft, he and Lonzo became the first set of brothers ever to both be drafted in the top 3, Sports Illustrated reported. Lonzo was drafted second overall in 2017 by the Los Angeles Lakers.

LaMelo has had a successful start in the NBA. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2021 and was selected to the All-Star team the following year. In February 2023, LaMelo exited the season early after fracturing his ankle midway through a game against the Detroit Pistons.

In January 2024, the point guard returned to the court after a 20-game absence.

Tina had a stroke in February 2017

In February 2017, Tina — who worked as a middle school athletic director — had a serious stroke that left her in the hospital for more than two months, ESPN The Magazine reported. Lonzo learned of his mother's condition while at practice, where he received a text message from a relative.

LaVar, Lonzo and his brothers visited Tina in the evenings after practice while she recovered and the father-of-three encouraged his boys to keep their focus on basketball while he took care of Tina.

"Here's what I tell my boys: 'You all do what y'all do. I got your mama,' " LaVar told the outlet.

Though Lonzo avoided speaking of his mother's condition in post-game interviews, he gave an update to ESPN in May 2017. "She can't really talk right now," Lonzo said. "But she definitely knows what we're saying, and she smiles all the time. So that's a good thing."

Tina made her first public appearance after her stroke in July of that year, when she attended one of LaMelo's basketball games. She had LaVar by her side and walked with the help of a cane.

"She's tough, smart, pretty," LaVar said of Tina. "I told my wife, 'I been with you so long, you can have one eye drooped and your mouth over here like this and you're still beautiful to me. I look at you the same way. That ain't gonna never change.' "

They had their own reality show

The aptly named Ball family dabbled in the world of reality TV with their own series, Ball in the Family, which debuted in August 2017 on Facebook Watch. The show initially followed the Balls as Lonzo prepared for his rookie season with the Lakers.

Tina spent the first season recovering from her stroke, and LiAngelo and LaMelo pursued their respective basketball careers. Ball in the Family ran for six seasons, concluding in the fall of 2020.

Lonzo and LiAngelo are fathers

In July 2018, Lonzo welcomed a daughter, Zoey Christina, with his longtime girlfriend Denise Garcia. His partner's pregnancy and the couple's deliberation over their infant's name featured in the family's reality show.

Related: Who Is LiAngelo Ball's Girlfriend? All About Nikki Mudarris

Years later, in July 2023, LiAngelo had his first child, a son named LaVelo, with Nikki Mudarris. When they announced the pregnancy in April 2023, LiAngelo told PEOPLE that his brothers were supportive of his next step.

"When I told my mom and pops they were shocked a little bit but I think more so excited than anything," he said. "My mom was yelling and cheering in excitement. When I told my brothers they were happy for me and also excited to become new uncles."

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