The agitating remarks of Marvin Bagley III’s father are apparently nothing new for the Sacramento Kings.
Bagley’s father, Marvin Bagley Jr., caused a stir this weekend by tweeting and deleting a post calling for the Kings to trade his son. Bagley III was benched for most of the fourth quarter in a close game on Saturday.
Jason Jones of The Athletic reports that Bagley Jr. also had a contentious relationship with ex-Kings coach Dave Joerger. The root of the issue was the Kings had promised Bagley III’s representatives that he would start by the All-Star break of his rookie year. Joerger ultimately refused to honor the promise even though the Kings were playing well to that point of the season.
Jones adds that Joerger once mistakenly referred to Bagley III as soul music legend Marvin Gaye. That led Bagley Jr. to begin pejoratively referring to Joerger as “Yogurt” in an intentional mispronunciation.
Joerger, whose name is actually pronounced as “YAY-gur,” was fired after Bagley III’s rookie season. Current head coach Luke Walton then took the helm. However, Bagley III has not fared much better under Walton. He has posted worse numbers in every single season since his rookie campaign.
Still just 21 years old, Bagley III has also struggled with injuries. The fact that Bagley III was drafted ahead of Luka Doncic and Trae Young makes him a very easy target for critics as well. His father’s continued antics certainly won’t help matters for him either.
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