LaVar Ball is an American entrepreneur best known as the founder of Big Baller Brand and the now-defunct Junior Basketball Association (JBA). He gained notoriety for his outspoken personality and promotion of his sons, Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, both professional basketball players in the NBA. His middle son, LiAngelo Ball, has recently signed a record deal with Def Jam as a hip hop recording artist. Ball's influence extends beyond business into sports and entertainment due to his sons' success and his own media presence.
October 23, 1967: LaVar Ball's Birth
On October 23, 1967, LaVar Christopher Ball was born. He is now an American businessman, co-founder and CEO of Big Baller Brand, and the father of professional basketball players Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, as well as hip hop recording artist LiAngelo Ball.
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1986: College Basketball Season Opener
In 1986, LaVar Ball played college basketball at West Los Angeles College. In the season opener, he recorded 33 points and 18 rebounds against Porterville College.
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May 1, 1994: Signing with the New York Jets
On May 1, 1994, LaVar Ball signed with the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) as a defensive end.
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March 7, 1995: Return to Jets and Assignment to London Monarchs
On March 7, 1995, LaVar Ball returned to the New York Jets as a tight end and was immediately sent to the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football (WLAF).
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November 1995: End of NFL Career
In November 1995, LaVar Ball's football career ended after an injury while on the practice squad for the Carolina Panthers. He then retired and became a personal trainer in California.
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1995: Practice Squad Member
In 1995, LaVar Ball was a practice squad member of the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, but never played in a regular season NFL game.
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1997: Marriage to Tina Slatinsky
In 1997, LaVar Ball married Tina Slatinsky, whom he met at Cal State Los Angeles.
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July 2015: Ball Family Featured by CBS Sports
In July 2015, LaVar Ball and his sons garnered national sports headlines when Gary Parrish of CBS Sports wrote a feature story about the Ball family.
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March 2016: MaxPreps Interview
In a March 2016 interview with MaxPreps, LaVar Ball began displaying his confident personality to the public, describing his son Lonzo as "Magic (Johnson) with a jumper."
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August 2016: SLAM Magazine Article
In August 2016, the Ball family's popularity rose after SLAM magazine featured them in an article.
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November 26, 2016: Guaranteed UCLA NCAA Tournament Win
On November 26, 2016, LaVar Ball guaranteed in a TV interview that UCLA, led by his son Lonzo, would win the 2017 NCAA Division I Tournament.
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March 13, 2017: Statements About Michael Jordan
On March 13, 2017, LaVar Ball stated in an interview that he "would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one" in his prime. This statement resulted in significant media attention and ridicule.
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March 2017: Statement About Lonzo and Stephen Curry
In early March 2017, LaVar Ball said he viewed Lonzo as a better player than Stephen Curry, the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2015 and 2016. These comments were widely criticized.
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July 2017: Facebook Reality Show Announced
In July 2017, it was reported that Facebook would release a reality television show featuring the Ball family, titled "Ball in the Family."
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October 3, 2017: Criticism from USA Today
On October 3, 2017, LaVar Ball was criticized by Nancy Armour of USA Today as the "worst sports parent ever" after he removed his son LaMelo from Chino Hills High School to train him personally.
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November 7, 2017: LiAngelo Ball's Arrest in China
On November 7, 2017, LaVar Ball's son LiAngelo and two UCLA teammates were arrested in China for shoplifting, which led to involvement from U.S. President Donald Trump for their release.
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November 2017: Criticism of Luke Walton
In November 2017, LaVar Ball criticized Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton for his coaching approach to his son Lonzo.
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December 11, 2017: LiAngelo and LaMelo Join Vytautas
On December 11, 2017, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball both signed with Vytautas Prienai–Birštonas of the Lithuanian Basketball League.
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December 12, 2017: Lakers Meet with LaVar Ball
On December 12, 2017, the Lakers' front office met with LaVar Ball, asking him to tone down his criticisms of their head coach and help create a more positive environment for his son Lonzo.
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2017: Making National Sports Headlines
In 2017, LaVar Ball began making national sports headlines due to a series of bold statements, including claiming his son Lonzo was better than Stephen Curry and that he could defeat Michael Jordan one-on-one. This drew both praise and criticism.
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2017: LiAngelo briefly attends UCLA
In 2017, LiAngelo Ball briefly attended UCLA before joining LaMelo out in Lithuania later that year.
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January 13, 2018: Jeanie Buss Tweet
On January 13, 2018, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss posted a Tweet showing her support for head coach Luke Walton alongside general manager Rob Pelinka.
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January 2018: Walton Criticism in Lithuania
In January 2018, LaVar Ball noted that the Lakers were no longer playing for their coach, resulting in them having the worst record in the Western Conference at the time.
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January 23, 2018: LaVar Ball Assistant Coach for Vytautas
On January 23, 2018, LaVar Ball became an assistant coach during the fourth game of the Big Baller Brand Challenge Games for Vytautas Prienai–Birštonas.
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February 15, 2018: Lip Sync Battle Appearance
On February 15, 2018, LaVar Ball competed against his son Lonzo on Lip Sync Battle and won the episode.
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March 3, 2018: Twitter Post
On March 3, 2018, after an ESPN report that Trump had no involvement in LiAngelo's release, LaVar Ball wrote on Twitter, "Thank you for what again @realDonaldTrump ?"
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April 25, 2018: LiAngelo and LaMelo Leave Vytautas
On April 25, 2018, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball's time with Vytautas Prienai–Birštonas of the Lithuanian Basketball League came to an end.
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June 13, 2018: End of Quibbles with Walton
On June 13, 2018, LaVar Ball ended his public disagreements with Luke Walton, mentioning he's a good coach that just needed to figure things out.
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June 2018: Statement about Kobe Bryant
In June 2018, LaVar Ball mentioned he could take on Kobe Bryant one-on-one due to Bryant's injury that took him out of the game in 2016.
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August 5, 2018: Comments on President Trump
Following President Trump's tweet regarding LeBron James and his interview with CNN on August 5, 2018, LaVar Ball told TMZ that the president is a racist.
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February 25, 2019: President Trump's Comments on China Relationship
On February 25, 2019, President Trump reaffirmed his stance on the situation with LiAngelo and the UCLA players, stating he conversed with Xi Jinping about the college students.
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June 20, 2019: Appearance on ESPN's First Take
On June 20, 2019, LaVar Ball appeared on ESPN's First Take to discuss his son Lonzo's trade to the New Orleans Pelicans. His sexually suggestive comment to host Molly Qerim led to ESPN stating they had "no plans moving forward" to have Ball on their programs again.
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March 2020: YouTube Video Views
As of March 2020, a YouTube video of LaVar Ball arguing with Stephen A. Smith about his comments on Michael Jordan has received more than 6 million views.
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December 3, 2020: Bleacher Report Simulation
On December 3, 2020, Bleacher Report posted a video of a simulated one-on-one match in NBA 2K21 between LaVar Ball and Michael Jordan, where Jordan defeated Ball 22-3.
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2020: Statements on 2020 Presidential Election
In 2020, LaVar Ball stated that he would not vote for Trump in the 2020 Presidential elections and suggested that Trump lost the election because of their feud.
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2021: LiAngelo's NBA Summer League Appearance
In 2021, LiAngelo Ball last played shooting guard/small forward for the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Summer League.
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February 19, 2025: Foot Amputation
On February 19, 2025, it was revealed that LaVar Ball had his right foot amputated due to a "serious medical issue".
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