LaVar Ball has opened up about his ongoing health battles, as the Big Baller Brand founder recently lost his right foot due to an amputation procedure.
Ball, who appears on the April/May issue of SLAM magazine alongside his sons, NBA stars LaMelo and Lonzo Ball, and rapper LiAngelo “GELO” Ball, spoke on how he coped through the harrowing experience with the help of his sons.
He particularly credited GELO and the success of his breakout single “Tweaker” with lifting his spirits following the surgery and during his recovery.
LaVar Ball speaks onstage during the BET International Nominee welcome event at GRAMMY Museum L.A. Live on June 28, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Natasha Campos/Getty Images for BET INTERNATIONAL
“When I was in the hospital and “Tweaker” was starting to become a global hit, I had a couple of FaceTime conversations with Gelo, but I was kind of slurring because I was all drugged up with all the medication they were putting in me,” LaVar told the publication.
“It was hard for me to really dial in on what I was trying to say. Even though I was kind of slurring with my speech, Gelo understood what I was trying to say.”
The doting father recalled urging LiAngelo to continue to work hard while staying dedicated to the family front, which he said is of the utmost importance to him.
(L-R) Lonzo Ball, LaMelo Ball, Tina Ball, LaVar Ball and LiAngelo Ball attend Melo Ball’s 16th Birthday on September 2, 2017 in Chino, California.
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“I remember just telling him, Keep doing your thing. And make sure you take care of your brothers,” Ball said. “Just make sure all of y’all are together. Cause the more you guys are together, the better I feel. That’s all I kept thinking about when I was in the hospital—my boys being together.”
LaVar Ball first gained national attention in 2016, as the loquacious former athlete began predicting that all three of his sons would play in the NBA, going as far as to compare his eldest son, Lonzo, favorably to four-time NBA champion Steph Curry.
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He also made waves with his launch of the Big Baller Brand, a sports and lifestyle apparel and shoe company owned and run by himself and his sons, shunning traditional endorsements from brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Reebok at the time.
His engaging personality and brash confidence in his sons made him a polarizing, but popular, figure in sports and pop culture, with many of his seemingly outlandish predictions becoming at least somewhat true, years later.
Read LaVar Ball and the Ball family’s Slam cover story here.
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