The general public position of an NBA celebrity’s father is one facet of the game that has considerably advanced in recent times.
Within the previous days, you by no means actually knew an excessive amount of concerning the parental figures of first-generation stars. Positive, you will have recognized that Lew Alcindor Sr. was a jazz musician turned police officer, or that Earvin Johnson Sr. was a Basic Motors meeting employee. However their public personas have been primarily that of considerably mythological figures whose values created a few of our biggest sports activities heroes.
The Forefather
Within the trendy NBA, the roles of NBA fathers are rather more front-facing. To the purpose the place, in some circumstances, they’ve develop into pseudo-celebrities and even simply outright well-known in their very own respect.
It seemingly started with the arrival of LaVar Ball and the “Huge Baller Model” period in 2017, when Ball’s WWE-esque public persona solely served to spice up the recognition and branding of himself and his three sons, Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo. It even earned the eldest Ball an look on Monday Evening Uncooked alongside The Miz.
Regardless of Lonzo and LaMelo making a complete of 1 NBA All-Star sport as a household so far, they continue to be two of the extra standard names within the NBA. LiAngelo has just lately opted for a music profession, together with his viral hit single “Tweaker” peaking at No. 29 on the Billboard Prime 40 chart.
The momentum began by LaVar’s preliminary runs by way of the press within the late 2010s has now snowballed into one thing that may probably preserve the Ball household culturally related lengthy past their taking part in years.
Evolution Of The Function
In fact, LaVar Ball was merely the beginning of the rising development of NBA fathers searching for to parlay their kids’s relevance right into a persona for themselves. A notable aspect script all through the NBA playoffs has been the drama produced by the fathers of the postseason’s two largest stars.
First, it was John Haliburton’s antics within the face of celebrity Giannis Antetokounmpo after his son Tyrese and the Pacers eradicated the Bucks within the first spherical of the NBA playoffs. Most just lately, it was an off-color NSFW comment from Vaughn Alexander (Shai’s dad) on a current look on Jeff Teague’s standard “Membership 520” podcast.
Tyrese Haliburton with @PatMcAfeeShow on the interplay between his father John and Giannis Antetokounmpo after the Pacers‘ Sport 5 win over the Bucks. pic.twitter.com/ZmY4YszREM
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 30, 2025
Not like LaVar’s considerably endearing theatrics that helped flip his kids into superstars, Haliburton and Alexander’s conduct has left their kids apologizing and presumably face-palming of their wake.
Ja Morant’s father, Tee, has been a largely constructive courtside presence all through his son’s taking part in profession. Just a few viral dust-ups and moments of trash speak have made him a comparatively standard determine, together with a hilarious ejection towards the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder for reportedly yelling, “The repair is in!” after a very unhealthy name. Morant additionally had a good-natured back-and-forth with Karl Anthony Cities Sr. throughout the Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves playoff collection in 2022 that included a pleasant wager.
🤣 Tee Morant and Karl Cities Sr. are again at it once more pic.twitter.com/S14vAK1law
— NBA (@NBA) November 12, 2022
Right here To Keep
With the character of a web based society and the final thirst for viral leisure in any type, it’s laborious to think about the return of underheard mother and father within the NBA. That’s not essentially a foul factor, because the storylines supplied by guys like Tee Morant and John Haliburton solely add to the intrigue of an already dramatic league. LaVar Ball deserves his personal class in that regard, particularly, contemplating he was a one-man headlines machine for all of our publications on the peak of his powers.
