From the moment they were born, Lonzo Ball and LaMelo Ball were being groomed to become NBA players. Their brother, LiAngelo Ball, went through the same process, but he has yet to realize his NBA dream in the same way, playing in the G League.
But, there is one thing LiAngelo has had that Lonzo and LaMelo both wish that they did; good health. Their careers, to this point, have been defined more by the amount of time they have spent on the sidelines than what they have accomplished on the court.
That has led to some questions about the methods that their father, LaVar Ball, used to prepare them to become professional basketball players. In a recent piece published by Bill Reiter of CBS Sports, he asked LaVar about those injuries. With his typical bravado, he blamed the injuries on NBA staff training his boys incorrectly compared to what he had been doing with them.
“They say, oh, LaVar, you worked the boys out too hard — that’s why they hurt,” LaVar said. “No, the reason they hurt is because they got away from me. And they start doing these roody-poo workouts. Because if you keep running them hills, you’re going to keep that power and that strength. But you start dealing with these rubber bands and doing this lightweight stuff, of course you’re going to start breaking down.”
Believing that NBA training staff aren’t as well equipped to train your sons is certainly a hot take only LaVar Ball could come up with. But, he didn’t stop there, as he also blames the footwear his sons are wearing for their issues.
“They’ve been trained hard enough? No, no, no,” LaVar said. “Because you condition your body for running and jumping. You’ve got to condition your legs. So that’s why I always have my boys in them hills and running hard in them hills. That will make you run like a deer when you get on that court, so you won’t be getting hurt. A lot of things have to do with them raggedy shoes that Melo be wearing. Them shoes are not made the right way for him. That’s why he keeps tweaking his ankle every single time.”
LaMelo, who now wears Puma shoes, has dealt with several ankle injuries over the last two NBA seasons. He has appeared in only 58 games since playing in 75 in Year 2 of his career and earning his first trip to the All-Star Game.
Interestingly, Lonzo believes that a lot of his injury woes have stemmed from wearing the Big Baller Brand shoes early in his career. He spoke about how they would routinely rip and tear during games, causing him to have to change shoes constantly during breaks.
Could that have contributed to the debilitating knee injuries he has been suffering? Lonzo has not played in an NBA game since January 14th, 2022 when he was 24 years old. Announced out for the 2023-24 campaign, the next time he will have a chance to get on the court is opening night for the 2024-25 season, when he will have just turned 27.
“Well, mentally, they got a strong mindset,” LaVar said. “They Balls. So they’re going to come back. They’re going to rehab. They’re going to do their thing.”
Lonzo has been making strides in his rehab and recovery, getting back on the court recently, which is incredible to see. LaMelo should be ready to go for the start of the 2024-25 season as well, as he will be looking to put these ankle issues behind him with a new head coach in place for the Charlotte Hornets.
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