LaVar Ball Discusses Foot Amputation; Underwent Multiple Surgeries for Infection

LaVar Ball, the father of NBA players Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, told Slam on Tuesday that diabetic complications caused him to need an amputation on part of his right leg.

Ball said he got an infection in January "that started spreading through my blood due to not paying attention to my diabetes."

He said doctors initially amputated a couple of his toes before determining that more substantial amputations would be required.

"Then they cut off my foot," he said. "Then they said, 'We gotta go almost knee high for another surgery.'"

Alongside his four amputations, Ball also said he underwent four separate blood transfusions.

"It made me think, 'Man, just kill me and let me go about my business,'" he said. "It made me think that maybe it’s time for me to shut it down."

His sons, however, inspired him to continue fighting, and now Ball is encouraging everyone to get regular medical checkups "because I'm going to tell you this, a little amputation and a little of this, it could all have been prevented."