Lonzo Ball had a rough NBA debut — thanks in large part to Patrick Beverley — in the Lakers’ 108-92 loss to the Clippers on Thursday night. The point guard had just three points — on 1-of-6 shooting from the field, 0-for-2 at the line — and four assists in 29 minutes, though he did pull down nine rebounds.
After the game, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Neil Everett reported live from Staples Center on the late-night SportsCenter, and were joined by… yep, LaVar Ball.
And a live segment — there were two, even — involving Stephen A. Smith and LaVar Ball went exactly as you’d expect. This was a rare instance — or at least since Skip Bayless went to FS1 — where I actually found myself agreeing more with Stephen A. (which just speaks to how nuts LaVar is). Understandably, LaVar was firmly defending his son, but this was still a bit over-the-top (as is everything with LaVar, of course).
The interview began with Stephen A. bringing up Lonzo’s ugly shooting night, and LaVar said that it was actually a great night… because “Big Baller Brand went up 12 percent.”
But LaVar then argued that Lonzo really did have a great game because of rebounds.
The segment continued with LaVar saying the Lakers are tied in the standings with Golden State (lol), and he tried to bring poor Neil Everett into the argument/incoherent yelling.
Stephen A. then brought up Patrick Beverley making life miserable for Lonzo in Thursday’s game, and how Lonzo has a target on his back, thanks largely to LaVar’s antics. This is all very true and will likely make things even more difficult for a 19-year-old rookie, but LaVar doesn’t seem to care: “We don’t hide from nobody.”
LaVar has to already be driving the Lakers’ front office and coaching staff crazy.
[ESPN]
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About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.