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LaVar Ball just issued one of the dumbest ultimatums ever about his sons

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Just when you think LaVar Ball can’t say anything more ridiculous, he does.

But this one is going to be hard to top.

Ball has decided to try and blackmail the Los Angeles Lakers, the team his son, Lonzo, plays for.

With a mouth so big it can be heard all the way from Lithuania, Ball not only proclaimed that Lonzo will not re-sign with the Lakers, he let it be known that any team that wants one Ball brother will have to take all three.

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Lithuanian basketball writer Donatas Urbonas broke the story, straight from the horse’s … I mean Ball’s … mouth:

“I want all my three boys to play for the Lakers,” Ball said. “But if that does not happen, I’m telling you the story what’s gonna happen first. If they don’t take Gelo (LiAngelo Ball) this year, I bring Gelo here to play with Melo (LaMelo Ball) for two years. Lonzo will be on his third year and I want to let every NBA team know that Lonzo is not going to re-sign with the Lakers but will go to any team that will take all of my three boys. That’s my plan.

“Lonzo plays best when he is with his brother. Why wouldn’t — he is a hell of a shooter. They don’t play the same position. You see how successful he was when he was with his brother?”

Let’s put aside Ball’s bombast just for a second and look at some facts.

First, LaMelo Ball is only 16. In two years, he will be 18 and ineligible for the NBA draft, since he would — if he went to college — only be a freshman. His class has to complete its freshman year before he’s allowed to play in the NBA.

Second — and this is where the Lakers have the hammer — the team can control Lonzo Ball through the 2020-21 season, per his four-year rookie contract and club options.

When Lonzo does become a free agent in three years? He’ll be a restricted free agent, meaning Los Angeles can match any offer he gets from another team. It won’t be Lonzo’s choice if he remains with the Lakers, it will be the team’s choice.

And, while LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball have had some nice performances in Lithuania, they’ve done nothing to suggest they have the talent to play in the NBA.

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Veteran broadcaster Keith Olbermann suggested that Lonzo Ball get a “divorce” from his “idiot” father.

LaVar Ball may be a brilliant marketer — and if you’re not sure, just ask him — but in this case, he should probably have a better grasp on reality before he opens his mouth … again.

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Mike is an 11-time Michigan Emmy Award winner who has spent nearly 30 years working in sports media.
Mike has spent nearly 30 years in all aspects of sports media, including on-air, 10 at ESPN and another 10 at Fox Sports Detroit. He now works as a TV agent, and lives with his family in West Bloomfield, MI.
Birthplace
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Honors/Awards
11-time Michigan Emmy winner
Education
Emerson College
Books Written
The Longest Year: One Family's Journey Of Life, Death, And Love/If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Tigers/If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Lions
Topics of Expertise
Sports




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