Lonzo Ball’s outspoken father LaVar Ball knows exactly why UCLA didn’t win the NCAA men’s basketball championship.
“Realistically you can’t win no championship with three white guys because the foot speed is too slow,” LaVar Ball told the Orange County Register. “I told Lonzo — ‘One of these games you might need to go for 30 or 40 points.’ It turned out the that was the one game. Then once they get to the Elite 8, they’re right there.”
So, Lonzo didn’t quite score 30 or 40 when his Bruins were eliminated — he netted 10 points. The guy he was guarding, Kentucky’s De-Aaron Fox, poured in 39. That’s a tournament record for a freshman.
“People thought he was giving up, but he popped his hamstring,” LaVar explained away the poor performance. “He said ‘I was trying to run, but my hamstring was pulled.’ But he’s never going to make excuses.”
“You’ve got to kill him to get him off the court,” Ball Sr. continued. “If you get in a bar fight and your eyeball gets knocked out, you can’t go outside and say my eye’s hurt. You got to go in there and fight with your eye hanging out. You never leave your brothers hanging on the court.”
As for his slow, white-guy brothers, LaVar was likely referring to UCLA starters TJ Leaf, Bryce Alford and Thomas Welsh, who combined for 39 points in the March 24 loss.