UCLA basketball sensation Lonzo Ball hasn’t even been drafted by an NBA team yet, but with his son’s future in the league a foregone conclusion, his father, LaVar Ball has dominated sports headlines for months with outrageous statements about his son’s future success. Most of his comments have been brushed off as self-promotional chatter, such as his assertion that a shoe company will be forced to sign all three of his sons to one contract totaling a billion dollars.
But, during a recent radio interview, his statements crossed the line from grandstanding to something more troubling. Appearing on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” LaVar Ball entered a heated argument with cohost Kristine Leahy, after Ball said his brand will be exclusive to the point that it wouldn’t be a “women’s company.”
Leahy pointed out, amid Ball’s usually self-aggrandizing predictions, that “In order to have a successful company, I think you are going to have to have women that like your brand.”
Doubling down on the misogynistic undertones, Ball responded, “Yeah, if you have a women’s company. But anyways, we talking about Big Baller Brand.” The comment came after Ball had already told Leahy to “Stay in your lane,” and had dismissed her questions regarding the brand’s success, bellowing, “I don’t even worry about her over there” to host Colin Cowherd. Leahy remained diplomatic, stating “I think that’s kind of disrespectful.”
Here’s audio of the interview, which provides more context regarding both Ball’s personality and the comment in question:
