A one-minute advertisement may have been the damage control mechanism that Lonzo Ball has needed all along.
A Father’s Day promo organized by Foot Locker featured a few of the NBA Draft’s top prospects, including Ball, discussing the impact their respective fathers have had on them. Ball stole the show, opening up and showing a side that most of the public had yet to see.
It also serves as a breath of fresh air for the anti-Ball crowd that is downplaying his top-two talent all because of his father’s antics. He very well could be the Sixers’ selection at No. 3.
The advertisement opened with Jonathan Isaac, De’Aaron Fox and Jayson Tatum — all projected top 10 picks — explaining their father’s importance, ranging from playing 1-on-1 in the driveway to fishing.
This leads into to Ball’s monologue on his memories:
“Of course there’s that day when your dad berates your high school coach in front of an entire crowd for not getting you enough touches … or that special moment when your dad sits you down and tells you where you’re going to college … copyrights your name to make it a part of your lifestyle brand … went on ‘First Take’ and shouted back and forth with Stephen A. Smith about how you’re already better than the reigning MVP.”
He continues:
“All those college interviews in the stands … the public spats … sound bite after sound bite to the national media and telling 29 of the 30 teams to not bother drafting you.”
— Foot Locker (@footlocker) June 14, 2017
It was a light-hearted, entertaining jab at Lavar’s antics and most likely scripted that way. That being said, it’s probably the most personable that Lonzo has come across — mainly because he hasn’t been in front of a camera too much (that’s reserved for his father).
Perhaps the video doesn’t do anything for you — the cynics will believe it’s a staged attempt to have Lonzo shine for a change — but at the very least, it shows that he can at least have fun with it.
And who knows, maybe that’s how he really feels …
