NY POST: Now LaVar Ball owes Donald Trump a $13 million ‘thank you’

You know the first time I ever heard of the Ball clan and this "Big Baller Brand" was on an edition of WWE Raw this past summer. Ball made an absolute spectacle of himself in from of the hometown crowd of Los Angeles, California as he introduced his son Lonzo who was recently drafted and signed by the Los Angeles Lakers. Ball made such a spectacle of himself that another wrestler - who has a similiar persona - had to come out and save that segement [one you can see here].

Then more recently Ball picked a fight with Trump - as we all know thanks to his twitter @realdonaldtrump he is very outspoken himself - who claimed that he helped to release three players from UCLA from custody in China for shoplifting. Those three players included LiAngelo Ball and in a press conference all three said thanks to the President. If they were convicted man China would throw those kids in jail and forgot all about them!

Anyway LaVar turns around and dismisses Trump's role in their release and with the President's Tweets & Ball's comments a war of words commences. I think of Ball as an idiot, but I'll give him some credit all this served to have done is give him and his company publicity.

It pays to pick a fight with President Trump.

That, at least, is the case for bloviating basketball dad LaVar Ball who has earned himself $13.2 million worth of free digital and TV ads since he started feuding with the president on Nov. 17. The number comes courtesy of Apex Marketing Group president Eric Smallwood and was first reported by ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell.

Smallwood and his company made their calculations based on how often Ball’s Big Baller Brand — a fledgling sneaker and apparel brand — has been mentioned in the media since Ball and Trump began feuding over the president’s role in getting Ball’s son LiAngelo released from Chinese custody after he was busted for shoplifting with two UCLA teammates.

Mark Dice even had to comment on this recent noting that father Ball trolled CNN's Chris Cuomo [VIDEO]

 

Of course to this publicity there is a downside, but then the big picture the Ball family and their business is getting some attention.

There is a downside to Ball’s attention grab.

 When the feud is mentioned, so is LiAngelo’s sticky-fingered trip to China. Thus, the crime and LiAngelo’s subsequent indefinite suspension from the UCLA basketball team hasn’t faded from view even though there have been plenty of natural endpoints to the controversy. LiAngelo and his teammates are trying to get back in coach Steve Alford’s good graces and onto the floor. This can’t be helping.

On top of that, Lavar’s self-promotion continues put an extra bright spotlight on his oldest son, Lonzo, who is struggling to live up to sky-high expectations as a rookie point guard for the Lakers. So far this season, Ball is averaging 9 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds per game but is shooting a stunningly bad 31 percent from the field.

Reality, I've learned that Ball has his supporters who view him as a strong Black father doing his own independent thing. He's doing the entrepreneurial thing and backing his sons two of whom are playing basketball (one in college at UCLA and the other in the NBA with the Lakers) I can definitely respect that even if I may have little respect for his persona.

Via Newsalert