Adidas Reportedly Didn't Want Refs to Eject LaVar Ball at Summer Championship

Officials with Adidas reportedly didn't want referees at the 2017 Summer Championships event to call technical fouls against LaVar Ball.

Per ESPN's Myron Medcalf, Adidas "pressured" the referees to not call technicals on Ball "because of his drawing power and their potential courtship of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball."

Ball is serving as head coach of the Big Ballers AAU team that features his son, LaMelo Ball. He pulled his team off the court during a game on July 22 after receiving a technical foul, resulting in a forfeit win for Clutch Players Navy in a game it was losing 69-60 in the second half.

On Friday, Ball threatened to pull his team off the court again after being assessed a technical foul in the first half of a game against Team BBC. Medcalf reported Ball asked for the female referee who was involved in the dispute to be removed from the game, and tournament organizers granted his request. 

Medcalf noted Ball's team is scheduled to play a second game on Friday night, but "tournament officials did not know whether he and the team would show up."