Lonzo Ball will work out only for Lakers as LaVar hopes to 'discourage' Celtics

Henry Bushnell
·Senior soccer reporter
LaVar Ball and Lonzo Ball after a Pac-12 game in March. (AP)
LaVar Ball and Lonzo Ball after a Pac-12 game in March. (AP)

LaVar Ball has had an … uh … eventful 24 hours. If any word will suffice, that can for now.

LaVar began on a high Tuesday night when his wish was seemingly fulfilled. The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t win the NBA draft lottery, but the Ball family did. Los Angeles secured the second pick in the 2017 draft, a pick it could use to take LaVar’s son, former UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball.

LaVar ended the 24-hour cycle on a low, however. He went really, really low. He blatantly disrespected Kristine Leahy, the female co-host of “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” during an appearance on the show Wednesday. He has been the subject of harsh criticism and heated debate since.

All of this has overshadowed what happened in the middle, which is remarkable in its own right: The father of an NBA draft prospect is saying that his son will work out for only one NBA team. Just one. He won’t work out for the 29 others.

That’s exactly what LaVar Ball said in an interview with Lakers Nation, one of many LaVar has conducted since Tuesday night’s draft lottery. “That’s all we working out for is the Lakers,” LaVar said. “Just the Lakers. There’s nobody else that we need to work out for.”

LaVar confirmed the workout plans on FS1 on Wednesday, and said that he hoped to “discourage” Boston from taking Lonzo. “I hope they don’t take him,” LaVar said of the Celtics and Lonzo. “Markelle Fultz is the perfect pick for them. He’s the best player. Take him.”

That’s right, a father doesn’t want his son to be the No. 1 overall pick. But this isn’t some crazy LaVar take. It’s a stance that Lonzo has taken, too. Back in April, Lonzo said he’d rather go to his hometown Lakers than hear his name called first on June 22. LaVar’s petitioning is only backing up his son’s words.

In the Lakers Nation interview, LaVar also re-affirmed his stance that his son will absolutely, undoubtedly, 100 percent assuredly play for the Lakers. “There’s no doubt in my mind whatsoever,” he said, and then followed it up with quite the LaVar line: “I’m going to say it again, in English, speak it into existence. In Spanish, speak it into existence. In Africa, speak that mother[expletive] into existence.”

Well, then … Sounds like Lonzo is going to be a Laker.