LaVar Ball has at least temporarily found another verbal sparring opponent in the form of former Los Angeles Lakers guard and head coach Byron Scott. TMZ essentially facilitated a war of words between Scott and Ball, when the celebrity news site featured Scott talking spicy about Ball’s input regarding his son and rookie Laker point guard Lonzo Ball.
Scott drew on his 13-year playing career and 15-year head coaching career to offer some advice to the elder Ball and various media outlets.
"I got so much more experience than you doing this than you’ll ever have—especially in the NBA," Scott told TMZ in late November. "Basically, I would probably just say, 'Shut up. Just stay put…just stay on the sidelines. We got this.'"
In what comes as a surprise to no one, Ball was ready with a quick clap back when approached for a rebuttal.
"Yeah I got words for Byron Scott," Ball told TMZ Saturday. "Shut the hell up and do what you do. Leave me alone. He ain’t doing nothing now. Tell him, if he wants his name in the news, go do something. You ain’t gotta talk about Ball to get your name in the news. But then again, yes you do, because ain’t nobody talking about Byron Scott doing nothing."
His previous championship pedigree notwithstanding, Scott oversaw what was objectively the worst era in Lakers history.
Tonight, Byron Scott broke a tie with George Mikan for the worst coaching record in Lakers history: pic.twitter.com/7bqNmBWmy7
In January of 2016, Scott officially posted the worst record in franchise history when a loss to the Clippers dropped his record with the Lakers to 30-101. He was fired three months later.
Ball’s eldest son is posting historically bad shooting numbers and eliciting pieces expressing genuine concerns about his future as a pro. Meanwhile, his middle son sparked an international incident after allegedly shoplifting while in China. This would be a good a time as any for LaVar to tone things down for once.
