LaVar Ball Talks Lonzo, LaMelo, LiAngelo with Kevin Durant on 'The ETCs Podcast'

LaVar Ball said getting all three of his sons—Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo—to the NBA level was a "fun" journey that took an entire family commitment. 

Ball discussed every aspect of their development, from deciding to take on all coaching duties while they were young to their current situations, during an appearance Thursday on The ETCs podcast with Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez.

The former college basketball player and NFL practice squad member explained that getting his sons to play older opponents and turning down high-profile teammates who asked to join their teams was crucial to teach them about overcoming adversity:

"So they always played up. So, even though they were big for their age, they were always playing guard spots. When they were in junior high, we were playing high school teams. People were always mad at me because they were like, 'LaVar, you don't take them to these games, tournaments and all this. You only stay in Ontario, in Chino Hills, and Anaheim.' I said, 'Let me tell you this: the best 10U, 11U team cannot beat the worst 16U team. These boys are faster. Even if they can't play a lick, they're faster and stronger.'"

He added that always being the coach allowed him to make those decisions rather than relying on other people to lead his sons' development.

Ball also hinted he'd like a chance to coach at the NBA level so he could implement a full-court press for the "whole game," an idea that drew a rebuke from Durant, who argued the athleticism of the league's starting point guards wouldn't make it a successful strategy.

"That will never happen," KD joked. "If that happens, you're getting fired within the first few months."

Meanwhile, Ball also talked about each of his sons' current situations.

On Lonzo getting a chance to run the New Orleans Pelicans offense full-time under new head coach Stan Van Gundy after Jrue Holiday was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks:

"I'm going to see. I like the situation that he's in right now. The best situation is him and his brothers. At least what's different is Lonzo is going to do way better this year on the fact that he's healthy, but the mindset of Stan is like, 'Zo, the ball is in your hand.' Let me get Drew out. Let me let Zion play the game. The first thing they said right now, 'He ain't on no restriction.' You take away his best piece in the bubble and expect him to do good? Man, that's like taking your best wing man and being like, 'Ah, I don't want you to do too good. Pull him on out of here. 10, 15 minutes, that's good. Don't keep throwing it to him.'"

On LaMelo, who was the third overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2020 NBA draft, signing an endorsement deal with Puma rather than sticking solely with the Big Baller Brand:

"Melo with Puma? That's fine, man. They're always going to be with the Baller Brand. It's a family brand. They can do some other things. People switch and go to different things and stuff like that, but like I tell my boys, man, they are still with me. They can do some other things with Puma, that's fine. But I'll tell you what, you ain't going to become no billionaire with them. You ain't even going to become a billionaire with the Big Baller Brand. Why? Ownership. When I die, where do you think all this Triple B stuff is going? I got everything, man. I got from water to rims, tires, clothing. Man, this brand is going to go crazy."

On LiAngelo not being a lottery pick because of his off-court issues leading to an early exit from UCLA:

"He would have been in the [NCAA] tournament. This is how things would have went: He would have went past the Sweet 16, now you better than them. [He would have] been a top-10 pick at the shooting guard because he would have been lighting that three-pointer up. I mean, if you can take [Miami Heat guard] Tyler Herro, you can take my damn son."

LiAngelo signed a non-guaranteed, one-year contract with the Detroit Pistons in early December, but he was waived after not playing in the team's first two preseason games.

Ball also said he's still planning to see all three of his sons on the same NBA team at some point in the future, a prediction he's made for a long time: "That's gonna happen."