Charles Barkley blasts LaVar Ball, calls him a 'big mouth jackass dad'
The seeming demise of the Ball family’s Big Baller Brand has inspired one very weird tattoo and some of the hottest takes. And you’ll be just shocked to find out that one of those takes came from none other than Charles Barkley.
Okay, you’re probably not shocked. Put Barkley in front of any microphone and he’ll almost always have something interesting (or bonkers) to say. On Wednesday morning he was in front of a microphone when he did a remote segment on ESPN’s “Get Up,” and aired his feelings about Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers, Lonzo’s dad LaVar Ball, and the demise of the family’s brand.
Here’s what Barkley said when host Jalen Rose asked him what he thinks about the fallout of the Big Baller Brand, and Lonzo Ball saying it’s time for him to be his own man.
"It's this ol' big mouth, jackass dad that's put his kids in an awkward situation all year."
Charles Barkley did not hold back about LaVar Ball 👀 pic.twitter.com/Ng2yj0Cue0— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 27, 2019
“[Lonzo] should have been his own man from the beginning. 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.
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.”
You can always count on Chuck to tell it like it is.
Barkley has been critical of LaVar Ball from the start, calling him out for exploiting his kids as a way to make money and bring himself fame. And it’s clear he still feels that way, even with Big Baller Brand shuttering and LaVar finding the spotlight a lot less than he used to.
Despite his feelings about LaVar, Barkley remains supportive of Lonzo, who has been nursing an ankle injury and hasn’t taken the court for the Lakers since January. Ball won’t be back this season, but Barkley seems eager to see what he can do when he’s both healthy and out of the shadow of his father.
He played 47 games before his injury this season, and averaged 9.9 points and 5.4 assists while shooting 32.9 percent from the three-point range. Maybe the 2019-2020 season will give Ball that “be your own man” fresh start he’s looking for.
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