Charles Barkley has often been known to voice is strong opinions publicly. Recently, the Hall of Famer gave his own take on the current Lonzo Ball and Big Baller Brand situation. Barkley appeared on ESPN Get Up This Morning and had some strong words to say about the Ball family.
“[Lonzo] should have been his own man from the beginning,” Barkley said. “You can’t let your family members try to piggyback on your success. This is his time. He’s a nice kid, he’s a good player. I’d like to see him healthy. But this thing has been a disaster from Day 1.”
The TNT analysts continued on in saying, “It was never going to work, and I feel bad, because this ol’ big mouth, jackass dad has put his kid in an awkward situation all year. Like I said, I don’t want to see anything bad happen to the kid, but I don’t like his dad at all, and this thing has been a joke from the beginning.”
It’s true Barkley has never been a fan of LaVar Ball and his parenting style.
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Back in 2017, USA Today reported Barkley’s disgust for LaVar.
“He represents everything that’s bad about sports. It’s all about him. You know I just feel bad for those kids because everybody’s talking about ‘he might be a good father,’ this and that. No he’s not. He’s just exploiting his kids. I love the kid playing for the Lakers. I don’t know the other kids. He’s all about Big Baller Brand. He has no foreseeable talent. He’s trying to make money on his kids. I just feel sadness for those kids because they’re going to do whatever they tell him to do and I just don’t like the guy at all, plain and simple.”
As of right now, it seems Barkley’s statements have some validity to them. Big Baller Brand co-founder Allen Foster reportedly stole $1.5 million from Lonzo Ball. Throughout the week, Lonzo has publicly shown his displeasure for his father’s company. For starters, Lonzo seems to have covered up his “BBB” tattoo.
To make matters worse Lonzo also posted a picture on Instagram implying that he might move on from BBB and sign with Nike. As for Nike, they might be getting a new client on their hands very soon. But for LaVar, it looks like this is the end for his overpriced apparel company.
