LaVar Ball, father of NBA rookie Lonzo Ball, appeared Monday night on Chris Cuomo’s CNN show to talk about his ongoing war of words with Donald Trump. And as far as Twitter is concerned, the resulting interview tops pretty much anything Ball has said or done since he unveiled his son’s absurdly expensive line of athletic shoes earlier this year.
The stand-out moment: Ball spending nearly 30 seconds demanding that Cuomo thank him for appearing on the show before agreeing to begin the discussion:
https://twitter.com/HardysMedia/status/932813080890834944
The issue at hand was Ball’s other basketball-playing son, UCLA student LiAngelo Ball, who, along with two other UCLA players, was arrested for shoplifting last week while the team was in the city of Hangzhou, China.
Their arrest happened to overlap with Trump’s trip to China, and after the three players were released, Trump said he personally asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to intervene. Trump later complained that the players were insufficiently grateful, tweeting on Wednesday: “Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!”
Trump’s complaint prompted thanks from the students, but when ESPN later asked Lavar about it, he dismissed it. “Who?” he said. “What was he over there for? Don’t tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out.”
That comment enraged Trump, who on Sunday tweeted the following:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/932303108146892801
Back to Monday night’s CNN appearance, highlights of which include the above-mentioned demand for thanks, and LaVar’s testy “What’s your name, are you Donald Trump’s brother?”
See the whole thing here:
LaVar Ball, the father of a basketball player freed from China who also recently ran afoul of President Trump on Twitter, talks with @ChrisCuomo: "I don't have to go around saying thank you to everybody" https://t.co/Y1HRSycqyD pic.twitter.com/a7in4bLogG
— CNN (@CNN) November 21, 2017
"He fessed up to it. … It was an impulse thing, a bad decision at a bad time, that's all it was for an 18-year-old who never done anything wrong," says LaVar Ball, father of UCLA basketball player LiAngelo Ball https://t.co/NE3kictbKv pic.twitter.com/ZGobFZ6Aug
— CNN (@CNN) November 21, 2017
"If you help, you shouldn't have to say anything," says LaVar Ball, father of UCLA basketball player LiAngelo Ball, adding, "Let him do his political affairs and let me handle my son, and let's just stay in our lane" https://t.co/CzyFZ2YTO1 pic.twitter.com/1XiXEg6Pl4
— CNN (@CNN) November 21, 2017
But if the combative and unrepentant Ball frustrated Cuomo, he delighted social media. “The winner and STILL champion of the world…LaVar Ball!!!” said one user. “LaVar Ball’s troll level is unmatched” said another. “LaVar Ball has won 2017. In the year of trolling, he is the King of the Trolls and I love it,” said still another.
Read on for a sampling.
Most accurate portrayal of Lavar Ball’s CNN interview https://t.co/rjNhaGEA8V
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) November 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/BooBooNyc/status/932813858489630725
The real winner: LaVar Ball, ladies and gentlemen. pic.twitter.com/glPJDKPs3K
— theScore (@theScore) November 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/Sam_Vecenie/status/932813770245619712
https://twitter.com/big_business_/status/932812607379030017
When the Lavar Ball CNN interview finally ends: pic.twitter.com/8cKoEOxKDr
— Chuck Naso (@ChuckNaso) November 21, 2017
The winner and STILL champion of the world…LaVar Ball!!!pic.twitter.com/tC6NnlL9gB
— Clem (@TheClemReport) November 21, 2017
when i know i shouldn't like Lavar Ball but the fact everyone hates him makes me like him pic.twitter.com/OswlM68z3M
— Fact checkers say (@DanielTWare) November 21, 2017
LaVar Ball to Chris Cuomo "Whats your name, are you Donald Trump's brother? pic.twitter.com/d3NFGg6k0J
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) November 21, 2017