LaVar Ball has quickly become one of the most polarizing figures in the world of sports.Love him or hate him, everyone is talking about him due to the endless amount of content that he provides on a daily basis.On Wednesday, Lonzo's outspoken father might have come up with perhaps his most ludicrous demands yet. If Nike, Under Armour or Adidas want to make a deal with his Big Baller Brand, the asking price is now $3 billion.That’s right, billion. With a “b”.In a borderline inappropriate and contentious interview on Fox Sports 1’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd”, Ball revealed his new asking price, which has now risen in his mind due to the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers hold the No. 2 pick in the upcoming 2017 Draft:"Now that Lonzo's headed to Los Angeles, what they should have done is give me a billion dollars and let me be on my way," he said."Now you know ... if they want to talk to me now, it just went up to $3 billion. Triple Bs -- billion, billion, billion," he noted, adding, "That's the only way they going to come at me. I'm already in the building. I don't need them for nothing, as you can tell."He also detailed that he’s sold roughly 400 to 500 pairs of the $495 ZO2 shoes since they launched a couple weeks ago.
Cowherd’s host Kristine Leahy was under direct fire from Ball, who called her a “hater” and told her to “stay in your lane” when she asked simple questions about the appeal of his brand to the larger companies.
When asked whether or not he would market the Big Baller Brand to women, Ball replied, "Yeah, if you have a women's company. ... We're talking about Big Baller Brand.”
Ball is certain that his son Lonzo will fall to the No. 2 spot, where he is also certain that the Lakers will select him.
"If Lonzo goes to Boston, he turns into a 2. ... Lonzo's always going to be a point guard. He can play any position, but his true position is point guard and Boston has so many guards, you don't need that guy," he said.
As for ever taking a backseat when it comes to his son’s basketball career in the future, LaVar sent a clear message:
"Dad is never going to go away. I'm always going to be his dad. Just like people say, I need to fall back. I don't walk behind my son, I walk on the side of him, so I'm always going to be on the side," he commented.
It remains to be seen whether or not the presence of LaVar will play a role in Lonzo’s draft stock. If large media platforms continue to give him a voice, there’s a lot that he can say that might be detrimental to his son’s appeal from now until the day of the draft.