In the ongoing war between Nick Wright and the Ball family, the iconic family patriarch has finally broken his silence.
On the set of his ‘Big Baller’ podcast, LaVar Ball (the father of Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo) issued a message directly to NBA FOX Sports analyst/insider Nick Wright. The statement comes after Wright’s tirade against Hornets point guard LaMelo, following his dirty play against Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo during last night’s narrow play-in win. In his usual fashion, LaVar went straight to business as he passionately defended his son.
“We got folks these over here who aren’t even commenting on the game, and talking about that somebody is a clown? Has Nick Wright ever looked in the mirror? I bet you if you look at the dictionary right now, and you look up a clown, you’re gonna see two things: one, you’re gonna see somebody with long hair on their sides and a big nose,” said Ball. “Yeah, that’s Nick Wright, a clown in itself. He’s been a clown ever since I’ve known him, and I know his tag team buddies, too. Yes, Whitlock, he looks like a clown, too, with puffy cheeks and a big, round nose, and a big belly to match. Yes, I’m calling them all out, because they’re all clowns. So don’t ever curl your lips and say a Ball boy is a clown.”
As a dedicated father, there’s nothing LaVar won’t do to protect his family and his legacy. So when he heard Nick Wright go off on his son and call him a clown, he knew how he had to respond; and so did former Lakers guard Lonzo Ball, who took to X in reply. After that initial outburst, LaVar then switched to explaining the play that caused such an uproar. As LaVar points out, it’s not so easy to “flip” a grown man from the position he was in.
“I’m trying to figure out how somebody can lie on their back and with their left hand, flip over a man that’s 260 pounds. Try that, that ain’t gonna work,” said Ball. “And Spoelstra, don’t be making all these excuses, talking about that you don’t want to make excuses. Then why are you making one? Win the game and call it in. But if somebody is falling on top of me, you best believe I’ll put my hands up and do all kinds of stuff. That’s just how the Balls are taught. We do some dangerous stuff; just get out of the way, cause we ain’t getting stepped on.”
We still don’t exactly know what happened at the Spectrum Center last night, but it appeared as if LaMelo intentionally tripped up Bam by swiping at his legs while on the floor. It was a quick moment that went unnoticed by the refs, but the NBA did later review it to give Ball a $60,000 fine. Of course, it was too little, too late for the Heat, as Adebayo would leave and never return to action. He finished with just six points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and zero blocks on 3-3 shooting in the 127-126 overtime loss.
Once the game was over, Ball (24) was subject to countless complaints as fans and experts expressed outrage over his seemingly deliberate act, including Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. While Melo did end up apologizing for his actions, it doesn’t atone for his list of offenses, which includes a notoriously poor driving record and a lack of decorum both on and off the court.
These things have all bruised Melo’s reputation in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean LaVar will stand for outright disrespect. As always, he will check anyone who comes after his boys, and he will defend their honor until the very end. In this case, it didn’t take much for him to justify Ball’s actions and turn the tables on a guy who dared to challenge his family.
