The Los Angeles Lakers are enforcing an “existing policy,” which now has come to be known as the “LaVar Ball rule,” prohibiting media members to scrum around a section of the arena among the family and associates of players after games, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes.
Family, friends, and agents of players wait for them in the seats behind the basket, which are the closest to the visiting team's locker room at the end of each game. Interviews conducted in that particular area and near the tunnel leading to the arena corridors are now forbidden to members of the media.
“It's not a new policy; it's an existing policy,” a team spokesperson told ESPN. “There has been more media presence in that area than before. That section is strictly for family and guests of players. It's a privacy concern.”
While the policy was in place in prior years, this wasn't really a harshly-enforced rule, but now has become one due to the traction of social media, which allows quotes to go live before an article or game recap is up.
Media members recognized in that area now are asked that he or she leave the area by the team's security.
This is yet another effort to keep media members from getting LaVar Ball's take after every loss, after the outspoken father of rookie Lonzo Ball has been quoted with criticism of the coaching staff less than a quarter-way into the NBA season.
The Lakers' policy might put an end to these candid responses at Staples Center, but it will only be a small piece of tape put in his mouth, as everything outside of the Lakers' arena is fair game for the media, and we all know Mr. Ball has never been shy of giving his own two cents.
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