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Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball has managed to partly live up to the delusions of grandeur of his father, the often loud-mouthed LaVar Ball, who wasn't hesitant to declare him better than back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry or prophesize his son being drafted by the purple-and-gold with the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft.
But to some in the Lakers organization, the next one coming to Hall of Famer and now president Magic Johnson has been riddled with the ever-growing pressure from the big stage and the drama that surrounds him, thanks to his father.
Lonzo himself is a relatively quiet, unassuming, confident young athlete who is trying to find a niche in this league. His father is almost a polar opposite — loud, obnoxious, and often brag-happy individual that could be taken out of a cartoon strip.
But according to an NBA executive, as long as the two remain associated, there's only so much growth that can occur for his career moving forward, especially with the constant friction between LaVar and pretty much every coach that is in proximity to his kids, including of course, Luke Walton.
“What player or coach can trust saying anything around the kid when they know it can end up in public?” one Eastern Conference general manager told Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report.
An Eastern Conference vice president agreed with the notion. “It doesn't do anybody any favors,” he said. “Not the team, the fans, nor Lonzo. You can't walk this one back.”
But despite the damage that's already been done in Lonzo's relationship with the Lakers, some believe the power of making that stress come to an end is only his.
Article Continues Below“They are frustrated that he can't stand up to his dad, but they really like him,” the source said about Lonzo.
According to several league executives, the solution lies on Lonzo being able to detach from his dad through the handling of his professional career.
“The kid could stop all of it,” the VP said. “All he has to say to the media is, ‘He doesn't speak for me. If you want to talk about the Lakers, speak to me, don't speak to my dad.'”
“If the kid is ever going to be a real player that is taken seriously, he will have to put his dad on ice,” he said. “My guess is it will take a number of years before that happens.”
If there's anything learned from this season, is that LaVar's antics won't just stop at draft night, or within the first games of the season, and now past the halfway mark of the season, how long until LaVar is clamoring for another coach at the end of the NBA season?
If LaVar's conduct speaks to anything by pulling out his two kids from school in order to make his prophecy come true, is that he is willing to do and say anything to make himself come out on top, even if it means spoiling plans for his kids.
Lonzo's shot to carve his own path isn't several years down the road, but now, before any more strain happens between him and the team that faithfully drafted him.
