Right as his son, LiAngelo, was reaching the peak of his success (after the release of ‘Tweaker’), LaVar Ball experienced a series of major health scares that changed his life forever. In a recent chat with SLAM, the iconic NBA dad told the story of his battle against diabetes and how a foot infection spiraled into three surgeries and multiple blood transfusions.
“I had an infection on my foot that started spreading through my blood due to not paying attention to my diabetes. I ended up having to get my leg amputated,” said LaVar. “First, they cut off a couple of toes. Then they cut off my foot. Then they said, We gotta go almost knee-high for another surgery. Three surgeries. And then there were also the blood transfusions. Not one, not two, not three, four different times.”
Ball is known for his bold and confident demeanor, but he was challenged in a whole new way by his latest medical crisis, which ended up costing him his foot. Upon reflecting on his recovery, Ball revealed what kept him going when he lost his will to live.
“All those surgeries and blood transfusions, it made me question whether it was worth going through it sometimes,” Ball said. “It made me think, man, just kill me and let me go about my business. It made me think that maybe it’s time for me to shut it down.”
Ball has never been short of confidence but he hit rock bottom this winter as he fought for his life. Fortunately, thanks to the love and support of his sons, LaVar managed to keep up the fight and he’s become one of the best stories of the year after starting on the road to recovery.
“Seeing what my boys are doing out there, they’re like, Dad you’re the toughest dude I know,” said Ball. “That made me keep going. Even though I’m a bad man—I don’t need much—it was good to have that backing from my boys. One of the things that makes me go is when they are all together. When they are all together, I feel strong.”
Ball, 57, first started going viral in the spring of 2017, after making a series of bold statements about his family and the NBA. Among the craziest things he said was that Lonzo Ball was better than Stephen Curry and that he could defeat Michael Jordan in a game of one-on-one basketball (a claim he still makes today).
Of course, we learned later that Ball was an expert at talking up his sons and that he would do anything to put them in a position to succeed. Over the years, as his sons established themselves in the NBA, LaVar began to fade from the public spotlight but he was still working behind the scenes to build up his family’s legacy.
Today, the Ball family is widely recognized and celebrated for their success. Lonzo and LaMelo have found their place in the NBA while LiAngelo has become the biggest celebrity of them as a growing music icon. While LaVar lost a leg, he may be the happiest he’s ever been after watching his sons succeed and make a name for themselves in the industry they love.
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