LaVar Ball says he always wanted Lonzo in New Orleans despite saying the complete opposite a few months ago
LaVar Ball says he wanted his son Lonzo to play for the New Orleans Pelicans all along.
Ever since Pelicans star Anthony Davis requested a trade back in January, Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 draft, has been a rumored part of most hypothetical Davis-to-L.A. packages.
That finally came to fruition over the weekend, with the Pelicans landing a massive haul of players and picks from the Lakers — Ball included — in exchange for Davis, a six-time All-Star.
LaVar, Lonzo’s infamously bombastic father, said during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Monday morning that he was always in favor of New Orleans as a destination for Lonzo — even though he said the direct opposite four months ago.
“The best way to get Lonzo out of L.A., I said, ‘I don’t like New Orleans. Lonzo ain’t going nowhere and the L.A. Lakers ain’t gonna never let him go!’ The first thing they do is exactly what I want them to do. They let him go,” LaVar said.
LaVar says the Pelicans, who are set to draft Zion Williamson first overall on Thursday, is “one of the best teams” his son could play for.
As a reminder, here’s what LaVar told ESPN on Feb. 4: "We want to be in L.A. But if he's traded, I don't want Lonzo in New Orleans. Phoenix is the best fit for him. And I am going to speak it into existence."
So if you think what LaVar said on Monday morning makes no sense, you’re not wrong!
Even an incredulous Stephen A. Smith called him out for lying. Perhaps that’s a sign that LaVar has had enough time on the air.
LaVar continues to bash Lakers organization
After news of the Davis blockbuster surfaced, LaVar said trading away Lonzo would be “the worst move the Lakers ever did” and the team “will never win another championship.”
LaVar continued on that track Monday, saying the Lakers “let go of the best thing they had going for them” and that it’s “raggedy over there.”
“The Lakers is all crashing down,” LaVar said.
LaVar lamented Lonzo’s playing time under Luke Walton, who left the Lakers to become the head coach of the Sacramento Kings. In New Orleans, Lonzo should be in a position to be the team’s starting point guard.
“I don’t care where Lonzo plays. I just want him to be healthy and I want him to play,” LaVar said Saturday. “And it’s better to go somewhere where you can just play and do your thing, and be that guy instead of having all these question marks behind him.”
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