On Thursday, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne wrote a longform article about the state of the Lakers, and more specifically their current relationship with Lonzo and LaVar Ball. While there were a number of anecdotes about the at-times-wobbly alliance, one that stood out was Shelburne relaying how the Lakers felt about LaVar publicly questioning their coach, Luke Walton.
In addition to saying that the team was "angry and disappointed" after Ball said "nobody wants to play for [Walton]" back in January, Shelburne addressed how the team has dealt with him knocking their coach behind the scenes while keeping a poker face for the masses:
That same week, LaVar went on blast, calling out Walton from Lithuania.
Furthermore, Shelburne wrote that the team feels their support for LaVar has been met with disrespect and drama on his end:
According to team sources, the Lakers were angry and disappointed with LaVar Ball over those comments. They felt as though no other franchise would be as accommodating and supportive as they had been, only to be rewarded with a constant disrespect and drama. Or, as one official put it, "He reaches out with one hand and slaps us with the other."
Shelburne also writes about LaVar getting charged the normal price when he asked L.A. for 20-premier tickets (aka $150,000), how the team has dealt with the Ball's Facebook show Ball in the Family, how LaVar's publicity has helped pull LiAngelo and LaMelo's Lithuanian team out of debt, and how the relationship between the dad and Lakers has shifted since Draft day. Shelburne's a good writer with strong journalistic ties to the organization, which means the whole thing is more than worth a read if you're at all interested in the subject matter. So check it out here.
