LeBron 'On His Way Out', Lonzo The Face Of Lakers, LaVar Says

LaVar Ball insists his son Lonzo Ball is the face of the Los Angeles Lakers despite LeBron James, widely considered the greatest player among the current generation, joining the franchise on a four-year deal last summer. He believes Magic Johnson was right when he called Ball the face of the Lakers when he was picked No. 2 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.

The former London Monarchs tight end made the statements about his son during an appearance on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd on FS1. Ball is currently a point guard with the Lakers and LaVar believes his son is not playing for the money but to win and that makes him a unique teammate for James to have.

Cowherd insisted the three-time NBA champion was the face of the team, but Ball claimed that James is “on his way out” and even labeled him “old”. That is unlikely to sit well with the 15-time NBA All-Star, who is keen to get the Lakers back to winning again after missing out on the playoffs in his first season with the team.

“Even Magic had the right thing to say that (Lonzo Ball) is the face of the Lakers,” LaVar told Cowherd talking about Ball, as quoted on Lonzo Wire, USA Today.

“Well, no, LeBron’s the face,” Cowherd responded, to which Ball replied: “Listen to what I’m telling you. Magic had said that before LeBron even got there.”

“You can say LeBron’s the face, but LeBron is getting old. That face is gone. Believe it or not, he’s on his way out. So, the best thing to do is hook up with this youngster that can play this game and has the same IQ,” LaVar explained making a case for his son. “Lonzo is a talent and a player that LeBron has never had as a teammate which is a guy who is invested in winning and didn’t have all these other things on the outside looking in. What I mean by that (is the) fancy cars, the women, the night life. Lonzo is just about winning, be quiet, rapping, running and doing his thing playing basketball. You can see that Lonzo is not faking by like ‘Oh, he don’t really like basketball. He’s just in it for the money.’”

Lakers point guard Ball is considered to be among the top young talents in the league, but he was not consistent with his performances last season while also struggling with injury. Moreover, LaVar’s claim about his son being the face of the Lakers could bite him back as the Los Angeles franchise could include him in a trade package that brings New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis to the Staples Center this summer.

The 21-year-old has been linked with a move away with certain reports claiming that Ball could be shipped to Phoenix Suns as part of a multi-team deal that brings the Pelicans power forward to Los Angeles.