LeVar Burton on LaVar Ball: He and Trump Are 'Two Peas in a Pod'
LaVar Ball has said a lot of things recently, and it's starting to get on the nerves of a more famous LaVar. Well, "LeVar." LeVar Burton, of Star Trek, Reading Rainbow and Roots fame, recently received some unprovoked hate tweets in his mentions presumably intended for Ball. It wasn't a lot of folks, but Burton wanted to set the record straight. Immediately.
It's an honest mistake, but Burton, a big fan of USC (his alma mater) and Michigan (his daughter's alma mater), doesn't want his name anywhere near Ball's. Bleacher Report recently caught up with Burton to talk about the LaVar Ball confusion, his personal sports fandom and which NBA players grew up watching Reading Rainbow.
*Without prompt*
LeVar Burton: LaVar Ball—his 15 minutes are over, yes?
B/R: What pushed you to tweet about LaVar Ball?
LB: A week or so ago ... I finally tweeted about it, I retweeted it with my comments. I was like, "What is going on here?" Then I looked into it and found out who LaVar Ball was, and then I just laughed. He's a piece of work. He is a one-person PR machine. I guess he's operating under the premise that any press is good press, but he's bucking for one of the most reviled persons in sports right now.
B/R: What are your thoughts about the stuff he's been saying?
LB: Obviously, the guy is either a master of self-promotion or remarkably deluded, or perhaps both.
B/R: What makes you say that?
LB: You know what, he's kind of like Trump. He'll say anything and then double down on it and defy you to believe him. Just because someone says something doesn't mean that it's true. We live in an era of alternate facts. It's sad, but that's the world we've created.
B/R: Has there been anyone in Hollywood that's given you a similar impression?
LB: No. The best cases I can come up with are Ball and Trump. In fact, #TrumpBall I think deserves some attention in the Twittersphere. They are two peas in a pod, those two.
B/R: What do you see in LaVar Ball that you also see in Donald Trump?
LB: Well, just the fact that they both have the tendencies to make outrageous claims that defy logic and yet they insist on pursuing a narrative as if what they're saying has some connection to reality. It's ludicrous. However, on some level, I guess it's working for them. I don't know. They come from a place different from the place that I certainly come from and most people come from which is, you say something, you've got to back your stuff up. When I was growing up, if you made a claim—"I can kick your brother's ass"—but if you can't back that s--t up, you're a punk. That's just me, like I said. I'm old school like that.
B/R: So how did it feel to be lumped in with those people?
LB: It was a very small percentage of people, but I hope I set the record straight.
B/R: Did your family say anything about the ordeal?
LB: I got tweets from friends and family, absolutely. We all thought it was very funny. I wonder how Mr. Ball got his name. Was he named after me? In fact, if he was, why does he spell his with an A and not an E? These are things I want to know. The same is true for LaVar Arrington. LaVar Arrington has gone on record saying he was named after me, and he spells his name with an A. Maybe, in fact, he was named after LaVar Arrington and I ain't got nothing to do with it.
B/R: And your thoughts on Lonzo Ball?
LB: Clearly, the boy can ball. Clearly, he has no influence over his father's braggadocious nature.
B/R: How would you deal with having LaVar Ball as your father?
LB: I think every kid in some point in their lives goes through a period where their parents are a source of embarrassment to them. Lonzo is no different in this respect. Clearly, Mr. Ball is a very strong personality, and I guess Lonzo has gone on record saying he doesn't have any influence over what his father says or does. End of story. Poor kid. Poor kid.
B/R: Your favorite basketball players growing up?
LB: Oscar Robertson. Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. Dr. J. Those are my guys.
B/R: Do you have a pro team?
LB: I live in L.A., so I have a love-hate relationship with the Lakers.
B/R: How would you feel about Lonzo Ball being drafted by the Lakers?
LB: Way above my pay grade, but like I said, the kid can ball. If that were to happen, it would be interesting to see, won't it, how Mr. Ball and Mr. Johnson get along 'cause Magic don't take no mess. Magic don't play.
B/R: Any thoughts on LaVar Ball calling Lonzo "Magic Johnson with a jump shot?"
LB: At this point, LaVar Ball saying anything, you have to evaluate it through the lens which it emanates.
B/R: Do you have a favorite sport?
LB: College football. I root for [Michigan and USC]. I'm a big Jim Harbaugh fan, and I think he's done wonders for the program in Ann Arbor. Back in the day, we used to have Michigan-USC Rose Bowls, and those were great games. When my daughter was at undergrad there, neither team was able to produce a Rose Bowl appearance, but I think that we are headed for a Michigan-USC appearance in the college football playoffs, and that would be something else.
B/R: So who would you root for in that matchup?
LB: I've got to go with the Trojans. Gotta go with the Trojans.
B/R: Any surprising athletes who are fans of your work in Roots, Star Trek or Reading Rainbow?
LB: Absolutely. I was in Washington D.C. staying in a hotel that the Warriors were staying in, and as I was leaving the hotel, some of them were going on the bus. There are a lot of Star Trek fans in the NBA. Lots of Reading Rainbow fans in the NBA. Lots of Roots fans in the NBA. Trust and believe.
B/R: Does it surprise you when you hear from these folks?
LB: I'm always surprised. I'm a kid from Sacramento. My whole life continues to amaze me. That's the truth. When the [former] President of the United States knows who you are, it's like, "Are you kidding me?" I did not expect that. I love it and enjoy it, but I did not expect it.
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