Lonzo Ball’s father on Barkley: ‘If Charles thought like me, maybe he’d win a championship’
Count Charles Barkley among those who might be getting tired of LaVar Ball’s act.
The “NBA on TNT” analyst said that one of Ball’s boastful comments about his oldest son, UCLA star Lonzo Ball, was “stupidity.”
The elder Ball went on record saying Lonzo was going to be better than Golden State’s Stephen Curry, the two-time reigning NBA MVP. Barkley was not a believer.
“He’s gonna be better than Steph Curry? That’s what he said,” Barkley told the Sporting News. “Steph Curry has won a couple MVPs. He’s pretty good. Man, let me tell you something. That’s that AAU … . You can’t say a guy is going to be better than Steph Curry, a guy who has played 30 college games. I know you can be proud of your son, but at some point, it becomes stupidity.”
Ball responded to Barkley’s comment Tuesday on Fox Sports Radio’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.”
“If Charles thought like me, maybe he’d win a championship,” Ball said. “He’s saying sometimes when stuff comes out of people’s mouths, it’s just stupid. Guess what? You’re talking too. So everybody has an opinion how things work.
“I don’t care that I put the goals up high. … I know what my boy is about. I know what work he put in. It’s not a one-on-one sport. But, if it is one-on-one, I’m going to take the taller, faster, stronger guy.”
Later on Tuesday, Barkley had a response of his own.
“I didn’t win a championship,” he told USA Today. “I don’t know what his basketball career was, but I’d put mine up against his.”
Barkley added: “His son’s life is his life, not yours. No matter what he’s trying to accomplish, it’s not his. So I wish his son nothing but the best. His kid’s a heck of a player. But I don’t like when parents interject.”
Lonzo Ball was selected the Pac-12 Conference’s freshman of the year and first team All-Pac-12 after helping the Bruins tie a team record with 28 regular-season victories, 13 more than last season. He is also one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award that goes to the nation’s top player and is expected to be one of the top picks in the NBA draft this summer.
Twitter: @chewkiii
UPDATES:
March 8, 7:20 a.m.: This article was updated with quotes from LaVar Ball and an additional quote from Charles Barkley.
This article was originally published at 11:10 a.m. March 7.
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