LaVar Ball will no longer be allowed to appear on any ESPN properties. The boisterous father of NBA star Lonzo Ball was banned from the sports outlet, according to a statement by ESPN.
On Monday, June 17, 2019, LaVar Ball made a guest appearance on the ESPN show “First Take,” which is led by Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman, and Molly Qerim. For the most part, Qerim acts as a moderator as Smith and Kellerman debate on sports.
During the live show, Qerim asked LaVar Ball if they could “switch gears” on the subject. Ball responded, “You can switch gears with me anytime.”
Following the statement, Smith, Kellerman and Qerim all paused for a few seconds before moving forward with the discussion.
On Thursday, June 20, in a statement, an ESPN spokesperson, Michael Skarka, said: “We have no plans moving forward [with Ball].”
In a statement to TMZ, Ball’s rep said, “[He] was asked if he wanted to switch gears, in his mind switching gears was ‘changing the subject anytime’ and he said, ‘Yes, you can switch gears with me anytime.’ At no time was that intended or meant to be sexual in nature.”
Lavar Ball shooting his shot with Molly Qerim on national television? pic.twitter.com/8yNP6gLifw
— Sam Tomasi (@SamTomasi13) June 17, 2019
