The Ball family, led by father LaVar, have always blazed their own trail no matter where that path took them. Unfortunately for them, rules have often gotten in the way of their path.
This was the case with Lonzo Ball, as the oldest brother revealed in a “Who’s Interviewing Who” video for Uninterrupted with legend Robert Horry and teammate Jaxson Hayes. When discussing with the pair when he knew he could make the NBA, Ball shared an answer that could only come from the Ball family.
“I knew I was always going to do one year [at UCLA] right when they put the rule in. I didn’t even want to go to college, to be honest with you. My coach from UCLA came to my crib and my dad told him straight to his face ‘Yo, you got my boy for nine months…and we out of there after that.’ I had a great time at UCLA but it was always just part of my plan to do one year and I was going to [the NBA] regardless.”
It’s an interesting scenario to think about. Given how great Ball was as a freshman for UCLA, it wasn’t any sort of risk for him to leave after one season. But had he struggled and not hit the ground running, would he have still left after one season?
Considering how bold a character LaVar is, the answer would still probably be yes. But Ball’s success also added some legitimacy to what his family was doing, which ultimately proved to be helpful in the long run as well.
The interview with Horry and Hayes was as revealing as Ball has been in some time as he also discussed advice received from LeBron James and the lowest moment of his basketball career.