Throughout the 2018-19 NBA season, it was a difficult sophomore year for Lonzo Ball on- and off-the-court with the Los Angeles Lakers.
After a Grade 3 ankle sprain against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 19 that was ultimately a season-ending injury, Ball sued former Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster and mutually parted ways with agent Harrison Gaines.
As Ball is taking control of his career now, he detailed the Foster situation with LeBron James on the latest episode of HBO’s “The Shop.”
Considered a ‘second dad’ to him, Ball explained when the stealing happened and why he covered his Big Baller Brand tattoo, according to Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report:
“I bought my mom and dad a house, like, he had a room. … The way I feel about it is different, that’s why I covered the BBB [tattoo] up on my arm. When I saw that, I saw him, and that s–t just made me so, like, I was tight. When we looked at those transactions, the s–t didn’t start happening until my mom got sick. She took care of all the money s–t. So that’s what really hurt me; that s–t hurt me. I don’t even know what I would do if I seen him right now. I ain’t seen him. When that happened, everything just went off.”
When it comes to Ball’s situation, it is not the first or last time it will happen to professional athletes. Fortunately for the 21-year-old, he was aware of the situation early on in his career and can start to surround himself with the right individuals.
In the midst of his first healthy offseason with the Lakers, Ball understands the importance of his third season. With so much potential, the hope is he can shed his ‘injury-prone’ label after only appearing in 99 out of a possible 164 games so far.