LaVar, rest of Ball family to star in reality show
Docuseries will air on Facebook Watch
Move over, Kardashians. The Ball family is stepping into the reality spotlight — and doing it on Facebook, not the E! cable channel.
Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball and his outspoken father, LaVar Ball, star alongside the rest of the family in a reality docuseries, Ball in the Family.
In a preview for the show, set to premiere with the first two episodes on Facebook Watch on Thursday, the first question posed in a behind-the-set interview with Lonzo is one most of the country also would like to know:
“What’s the deal with your dad?”
LaVar Ball has catapulted himself into the public spotlight in a way no sports dads ever have thanks to outlandish comments that include him saying he could beat Michael Jordan one-on-one. He also has used his Big Baller Brand to give Lonzo his own $495 shoe, the ZO2.
LaVar is heard in the preview saying, “My three boys (Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo) are the best ballplayers I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
“Family is everything to me,” LaVar adds in the preview. “I’ve always told my boys, ‘You can make all the money in the world. But it’s not fun if you’re just by yourself.’ ”
LaVar and his wife, Tina Ball, serve as producers on the show. Tina’s recovery from a stroke, in which she struggled to speak for a period of time, is emotionally chronicled in the series.
“We wanted to give our fans an unfiltered look into our lives and show them a side of us that isn’t typically seen,” LaVar said in a statement. “We have a big community of fans on Facebook, so we’re excited our series is going to be on Watch. And who better to help us tell our story than Bunim/Murray Productions.”
Bunim/Murray Productions is best known for its part in Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
The reality show falls in line with LaVar’s branding tactics, but it’s unclear how it will affect his three sons. There’s massive pressure already on Lonzo to restore greatness to the Lakers franchise. Team president of basketball operations Magic Johnson previously compared LaVar to Kris Jenner, saying: “The Kardashians, we didn’t say that the mom (Jenner) was bad, and she made them a lot of money, right? She’s bragged on her daughters, and I think it’s the same here.”
New episodes will be available on Sundays beginning Sept. 10.