Who is Lonzo and LaMelo’s Father LaVar Ball? How He Earned His Net Worth and Became Famous

Everyone knows LaVar Ball as an outspoken personality who is the father of two NBA stars in Lonzo and LaMelo Ball. But there’s greater information as to how LaVar became familiar with the limelight. 

LaVar Ball is now renowned for his connection with the NBA and his sons managing to live up to the hype that he creates around them. The elder Ball often makes bold and bizarre statements about the league – He once claimed he would “kill” Michael Jordan in a 1v1.

A brief look into the life of LaVar Ball

LaVar Ball was born on October 23, 1967, in Los Angeles California, where he attended Canoga Park High School and gained experience in both football and basketball. Though Ball shone as a quarterback in high school, he took up basketball seriously upon joining college.

A committed basketball career got him nowhere near to the NBA, as Ball was called for an NFL tryout. He then joined the New York Jets and soon left the league to play for London Monarchs in the World League of American Football. 

A premature end to his professional career saw LaVar Ball switching his interest towards training. He then became a personal trainer and settled down with his wife Tina, in Los Angeles. 

How Ball’s net worth took flight

Well, LaVar Ball still continues to be a personal trainer, but his business holdings have vastly expanded. The LA-native earned quite a lot of money from his football career and personal training, which he used to start the ‘Big Baller Brand’ in 2016. 

The athletic apparel company is also branded as ‘BBB’ and LaVar Ball is quite the master when it comes to marketing. He’s been able to take it to great heights with the help of his sons Lonzo and LaMelo, who are the first pair of brothers to each be drafted in the Top 5 of the NBA Draft. 

The meteoric rise of the BBB company saw money pouring in, but Lonzo Ball is the majority stakeholder in the company. Lonzo owns 51%, LaVar and Tina Ball have a combined stake of 32.7 percent, while Alan Foster owns the remaining share. 

Foster and LaVar launched the brand and the latter then indicated that the three Bs on the company’s logo are for each of his sons. The Big Baller Brand’s success opened up new business ventures for LaVar, who seized on it and made himself a sought after personality. As per Celebrity Net Worth, LaVar’s Ball’s net worth is $4 million. 

Creation of JBA and funding of international tournaments

LaVar Ball had a vision to make BBB even more popular as it was starting to gain massive attention. He then announced the creation of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA) in 2017, a professional league completely funded by the Big Baller Brand. 

This took the company to new heights and boosted LaVar Ball’s net worth. The JBA also served as an alternative to high-school graduates to turn pro instead of committing to college. However, the eight-team league was discontinued after just one season. 

During 2018, Big Baller Brand also organized two international tournaments held on the behalf of a Lithuanian team called Vytautas Prienai–Birstonas. The reason being that LaMelo and LiAngelo were playing with the Prienai-Birstonas during that period. 

The Big Baller Brand has still value in LaVar Ball’s heart and he still envisions future possibilities with the company. They’re also in the sneaker market, but both LaMelo and Lonzo are endorsing other brands at the moment.