Shtick gets in way of good intentions
THE Big Baller Brand made its Garden debut Tuesday night and, oh, by the way, there was pretty good basketball played there, too. The Knicks beat the Lakers 113-109 in overtime, but the Big Baller family seated on celebrity row got almost as much attention as the players on the court.
The Big Baller himself, LaVar Ball, with his wife Tina and sons LiAngelo and LaMelo seated next him, stood out as pops wore a big red shirt with “BBB” splashed across the front.
“The Big Baller Brand is introducing its stuff to the East Coast and we’re loving the hospitality and the energy over here,” LaVar told The Post at halftime while taking an endless series of selfies with wannabe ballers. “You can’t beat it.”
Knit caps have already been added to the collection after a pop-up store on 14th Street sold out of BBB apparel on Sunday as hundreds of fans lined up in the freezing weather to make a purchase.
“It’s a different culture over here,” LaVar said. “You’re a little bit more amped up. I couldn’t stand in the cold like that. I love the hospitality though. Instead of saying tennis shoes, you’ve all got me saying sneakers. I never said sneakers unless I was sneaking up on somebody.”
Hard to believe LaVar Ball could ever sneak up on anybody. He was talking as loud as he could while being swarmed by kids and adults. He quieted only for a moment when a representative of Modell’s Sporting Goods told him. “We’re selling the s--t out of your shirts. How do I carry your line?”
“Let’s talk,” LaVar said. He’s good at that.
Seriously though, let’s put aside the bravado for a moment and notice LaVar Ball is doing a few things for his basketball-playing sons that should be admired.
First, he’s a father who’s very involved in his son’s lives. He’s not an absentee dad who left his children for their mother to raise alone. As basic as that might seem, he should be commended for that as every father who cares should.
Also, building his Big Baller Brand is a bold move that shouldn’t be dismissed. The majority of young players — like 99.9 percent of them — would take the easy money from one of the big sneaker companies like Nike or Adidas and make more millions for Phil Knight and the like. Instead, LaVar Ball is creating a brand that could benefit his family for years come. There was a healthy dose of BBB apparel at the Garden on Tuesday night.
Most of all, LaVar seems to have raised some decent kids, the shoplifting incident involving LiAngelo in China notwithstanding. The Lakers rave about Lonzo Ball, the rookie point guard from UCLA. Wearing his Big Baller sneakers, he totaled 17 points, six assists and eight rebounds against the Knicks, and seems inspired by his father’s antics. “I know how he is,” Lonzo said. “He’s always turned up. I like his energy. Some people don’t.”
His coach, Luke Walton, is impressed with the rookie, who made 6-of-13 shots from the field and scored 10 points in the third quarter.
“Obviously, with how big he is and the social media that exists, everything he does gets scrutinized by everybody and I think he’s handled himself very well,” Walton said. “When he’s able to stay focused on what we’re trying to do on the basketball court and not let the outside noise influence his head and his mindset, that’s a good quality to have for a professional athlete.” Of course, dad sees no flaws. “Lonzo is doing like he’s always doing, great,” LaVar said. “How can he do bad if he’s a youngster playing the game he loves and getting paid millions of dollars. What’s better than that?”
The nation seems to be in an uproar that LaVar would take his sons LiAngelo out of UCLA and LaMelo out of Chino Hills (Calif.) High School to begin their professional careers in Lithuania. LaVar called it a “can’t lose” situation.
“We’re going over there to play some basketball,” he said. “My boys just want to play with the competition. Our passion is big.”
Time will tell whether this is a smart move, but from the Big Baller brand to their strong family bond, there’s something to be said about this unique adventure.
“They’re never going to see the positives,” LaVar said. “They’re trying to bring Big Baller down. It ain’t going to happen.”
Let’s hope all the positives aren’t lost in the delivery.