As big of a boner as LaVar Ball is, no one can fault the dude for not caring. If my dad cared 1/100th as much as LaVar does about his son’s well being, I’d probably be in the NBA right now instead of making dogshit jokes on the internet. THANKS DAD. All that ‘putting the food on the table’ junk doesn’t mean shit after I got cut by a Division III basketball program. Good work, dude. It’s all your fault.
Digressions.
Anyway, Lonzo Ball just did the impossible–he painted his father in a loving, endearing light. In a Father’s Day letter Lonzo wrote for The Player’s Tribune, Lonzo credits his father for his blind apathy of the opinions of the others and praises him for only wanting to give his sons’ opportunities.
People can have whatever opinions they want about who you are as a person, but they’ll never have all the facts. They’ll never know you like I do.
Lonzo recalls his father clearing out the living room so he and his brothers could play, and the smell of the delicious breaksfasts’ LaVar would make for his entire family daily.
Hey dad, if you’re still reading, you’re not doing so hot in comparison to LaVar. That’s something I never thought I’d say.
While in the letter Lonzo acknowledges that his dad has always been the loudest person in the gym and free to air his concerns, he also gives him props for instilling discipline in his sons–Lonzo graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA.
And that’s how it’s always been — you’re not just present, you’re involved.
And when I did need some motivation, you always knew just how to push my buttons. It wasn’t by making me do more reps or anything like that. It just came down to saying something simple like, “I hope you know that you’re not getting better.” That was all I ever needed to hear from you to make me keep grinding.
Lonzo closes the oddly heartfelt letter by telling his dad that his pop’s confidence empowers him and has made him battle-ready.
You haven’t had the easiest life. Everything you’ve got, you’ve had to work for. And you’ve spent your entire adult life instilling that work ethic into me and my brothers to make sure that we never have to face the same challenges that you did. I can’t think of anything else that you could ask for from a dad.
Thank you for teaching me how to play this game. Thank you for teaching me how to be a man. And thank you for never apologizing for being you.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad. Love you.
—Lonzo
Do I like LaVar Ball now? Do I not like my dad as much? Why am I listening to Clay Aiken? WHO AM I BECOMING?!
Check out the whole letter over at The Player’s Tribune….