Everyone in basketball circles has taken notice of LaVar Ball and his audacious Big Baller Brand, so of course Kyrie Irving has heard all the quotables. Kyrie can probably relate to LaVar’s son, 19-year-old Lonzo.
Lonzo is expected to be one of the top picks in the upcoming NBA draft. At 19 years old, the Cavaliers selected Kyrie, who had just wrapped up his freshman year at Duke, No. 1 overall. Kyrie knows what it’s like being a teen with tons of pressure on your shoulders, and being viewed as the future of a franchise.
Kyrie offered some advice to LaVar on Uninterrupted’s “Road Trippin'” podcast, which is hosted by Cavs veterans Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye.
"I’m sorry, LaVar, you’re not going to be in every hotel room that Lonzo is going to be in," Kyrie said, via ESPN. "You’re not going to be everywhere and part of his life as he continues to grow up. You got to let go. He’s 19 years old. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want it to bypass him being a father, but he’s got to let Lonzo be Lonzo for the long haul."
Though Ball is still a very young guy, it seems like sage advice, and certainly Kyrie knows what he’s talking about from personal experience. He said he went through something similar with his own father, who played professionally overseas.
"I had to have a talk with my dad, and I was just like, 'Man, Dad, I love you, but I’m going to make my own decisions,'" Irving said. "And he told me, when I turn 18, I’m responsible enough for myself to make my own decisions, and he’s going to be there to help along the way. But when I turned 18, like, I got my first tattoo. I got my ear pierced. I just started doing my own thing."
Irving spoke more to his own experience and said he’s excited for Lonzo to make it to the league.
"I don’t know what his future plans are for his sons," Irving said. "I don’t know the dynamic of their relationship. Me and my dad, I always wanted to be just an individual, and you guys always know that. And since I was a kid, my dad never fought that. He never fought that. And when it was time to let me go and be that individual after eighth grade, he stopped coaching me, and he was like, 'OK, from high school on, you’re on your own. Like, I’m going to be here for advice, but from this point on, I’m just going to be a parent. I can’t be your coach for the rest of your life. I can’t be the Joe Jackson of just staying there on every step and just calculating every move.' But, man, I just want to see what he has now. I mean, Lonzo, we’re just excited for him to get to the league now."
It should be fun watching these two very talented young point guards dual it out on the court very soon. And hopefully LaVar won’t be distracting too much from Lonzo’s performance.
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