LaVar Ball, the outspoken father of former UCLA Basketball player Lonzo Ball, has struck again, except this time he has made an extremely racist comment blaming UCLA’s “white guys” for not winning a championship.
This is NOT the UCLA way and LaVar Ball is soon going to find out that his racist comments about the UCLA Basketball team will not be taken lightly.
UCLA is a diverse university that prides itself on educating students from around the world. Whether it is in the classroom or in the locker room, UCLA is comprised of people from all corners of this planet… yet LaVar Ball has decided to sully its good name with recent comments that he might feel are justified.
The unfortunate thing about his recent comments is that they are undoubtedly racist and he should have known that they would irk some folks. The entire UCLA Basketball fanbase, for instance.
You can’t win no championship with three white guys because the foot speed is too slow. -LaVar Ball
In an article by Clay Fowler of the Daily News, Ball had stated that, “you can’t win no championship with three white guys because the foot speed is too slow.” Oh, really?
UCLA’s starting lineup this past season consisted of 3 1/2 players that are “white”: TJ Leaf (future first round draft pick), Bryce Alford (the head coach’s son and all-time Bruin 3-point record holder), Thomas Welsh (the team’s top rebounder last season) and of course, Lonzo Ball, whose mother is “white”.
As you can see, this is very troublesome for several reasons.
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
First off, this puts Ball in a very bad light which will soon have him face the wrath of the UCLA fanbase. A parent should not make horrendous comments about his son’s former teammates, especially from a team that went 31-5. It seems he is backtracking after making himself look foolish for claiming UCLA will win a championship this season.
Secondly, the Bruins collectively played fast all season long, so much that they were the top scoring team in the nation with 89.8 points per game.
Third, Lonzo Ball was not that spectacular in UCLA’s Sweet 16 game, which Lonzo recently stated that he was outplayed by Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox. (I’m not trying to call out Lonzo, but let’s put things into perspective.)
Fourth, LaVar’s two other son’s are headed to UCLA, with LiAngelo already signing his National Letter of Intent. How is this going to go over with UCLA Basketball Head Coach Steve Alford, whose white sons played for the Bruins? That will be an awkward phone call.
Fifth, LaVar not only continues to put his sons in an awkward position by running his mouth, but now these comments have had a few Bruin fans wishing UCLA would cut ties with the Ball Family.
Next: What is Next for UCLA Basketball?
The bottom line is that LaVar does not have a filter which has now proven more than ever that he is a very ignorant person. Ball will try to spin this anyway he can, but the point is, he should not point fingers at others for not succeeding and use race as a reason for it, especially in these sensitive times (not trying to get political here). This is not going to go over well with a community that prides itself on diversity.
LaVar Ball, this is not the UCLA way. We are better than that and you should be too.