LaVar Ball, who rocketed to fame for his flamboyant personality and being the father of three NBA players, had to have his right foot amputated.
According to TMZ, Ball had to have his foot removed due to a “serious medical issue,” but neither the publication nor Ball disclosed the specificity of the ailment.
LaVar Ball gets all three sons into professional basketball
Despite being discredited early on due to his bombastic personality and grandiose plans, Ball, 57, made his dream come to fruition as all of his sons — Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball — have played in the NBA and are multimillionaires on their own.
Lonzo Ball, 27, is the eldest of three sons and stars for the Chicago Bulls, though he has suffered from various injuries during his career.
LaMelo Ball, 23, is the youngest and arguably the most talented of the three. As the starting point guard for the Charlotte Hornets, he is renowned for his unique court vision and dazzling passes.
LiAngelo Ball, aka “Gelo,” scores hit song and record deal
The middle son LiAngelo Ball, 26, signed training camp deals in 2020 (Detroit Pistons), 2021 (Hornets) and 2022 (Hornets) but never made a regular-season roster, ESPN reports. He did play briefly with his brother LaMelo Ball on the Hornets, but has spent the balance of his career in the NBA’s G-League, the equivalence of the minor leagues in Major League Baseball.
LiAngelo Ball’s story is unique in that he scored a smash hit rap song, “Tweaker,” in 2024 that directly led to a record deal with Def Jam for a reported $13 million, with $8 million guaranteed. The middle son featured his two brothers in the video for the track and is now reportedly prepared to drop his second single soon.
LaVar Ball played in the NFL back in the day
The patriarch of the Ball brothers was a collegiate football player at California State University-Los Angeles and spent time with the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers of the NFL.
LaVar Ball is also the founder of the Big Baller Brand (BBB) sneaker line that was launched in 2016 by LaVar and his wife Trina Ball in Chino Hills, Calif., about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.
After attaining renown as a very verbose and boastful businessman before his sons made it to the league, LaVar Ball has since retreated into the background and now supports his sons’ careers without media fanfare.
No one from the Ball family has commented on the father’s medical condition.
