Lavar Ball, CEO of the Big Baller brand and father of Lonzo Ball, Liangelo Ball and Lamelo Ball, has confirmed reports of his right leg being amputated recently.
Ball, featured in a video posted to Tiktok user Primby’s account, downplays his surgery. “Everyone heard what happened. He continues to sing alongside his son, LiAngelo’s recent hit single, “Tweaker.”
TMZ first reported last Wednesday that the procedure occurred after Lavar Ball suffered from “serious medical problems.” The outlet circulated the image of the ball using a wheelchair with a bandage on its right leg.
It is not clear which medical problems led to the ball being cut off.
His youngest son, Charlotte Hornets guard Lamelo Ball, posted a photo of them two last week, calling it “I Love u Pops.”
Two other sons – Chicago Bulls Guard Lonzoball, 27, and social media star Liangeloball, 26, have not commented publicly on her father’s health.
Lavar Ball was once the headline mainstay, regularly exaggerating his sons and showing off his realised character. However, the ball has remained out of the public’s eye in recent years.
Ball was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended Canoga Park High School, where he played basketball, soccer and running tracks. He played one season at West Los Angeles University and later transferred to Washington State, an NCAA Division I school. He averaged 2.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 26 games (6 starts) from 1987-88. Ball re-morested after a season and moved to Cal State Los Angeles, an NCAA Division II school, where he met his future wife, Tina Slatinsky. They got married in 1997.
After his basketball career, Ball returned to soccer and played a tight end for one season at Long Beach City College. He signed with the New York Jets in 1994 as a free-agent defensive end. He rode the Jets practice teams in 1994 and 1995, serving under head coaches Pete Carroll and Rich Cotite. He also spent a short time on the Carolina Panthers practice squad, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Ball’s own athletic prowess didn’t make headlines despite telling USA Today Sports in 2017 that he would “kill Michael Jordan 1-1” on Prime. Depending on who you ask, his raucous personality and the promotion of his sons’ excessive sons fascinated (or infuriated) the country.
The Ball Brothers and their outspoken fathers entered the scene in 2016 when Lonzo, Liangelo and Lamelo led Chino Hills High to a perfect 35-0 record, national championship and the number one overall ranking in the nation . Ball featured the family’s fame in the sports apparel company Big Baller Brand and co-founded in 2016.
He is not the only member of the family who dealt with medical adversity. Lonzo Ball, the second pick in the 2017 draft, was on the sidelines for nearly three years with a left knee injury that required three surgeries. He returned to Chicago Bulls court in October after his last play with the team on January 14, 2022.
Tina Ball, the mother of the Ball brothers, suffered a stroke in February 2017.
“I just handle it, whatever it is,” Ball told ESPN at the time. “Life happens in life. I’m going to help you do something about it or let it happen and destroy you.”
Contribution: Jeff Zillgitt, USA Today
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