Latest news with #LaVarBall
Time of India
6 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
'I'm hard to kill' – LaMelo Ball's father LaVar Ball had a bigger purpose for fighting his illness that led to an amputated foot
LaVar Ball. Image via: Kirby Lee via AP LaVar Ball, the ever-bold founder of Big Baller Brand and father to NBA stars LaMelo and Lonzo Ball, has revealed the harrowing details behind his recent foot amputation. Now, the outspoken patriarch is using his voice to inspire others to take their health seriously before it's too late. While he was explaining his experience, LaVar shared his true motivation for continuing to fight his illness. Here's what motivated LaVar Ball to keep on fighting his illness LaVar Ball. Image via: Getty Images After his recovery, LaVar Ball has appeared in several TikTok clips shared by creator Primby, where fans noticed something was off. The speculation was confirmed when SLAM magazine published an exclusive interview in which Ball laid everything on the table, including the terrifying ordeal that led to the loss of his right foot. 'What I want people to understand is that anytime you're dealing with an illness or something serious like that, one thing you better have is family to get you through that stuff,' Ball said. The usually animated father admitted there were moments where he felt close to giving up. 'I'm the Big Baller. I'm hard to kill. But I must admit that my boys kept me rolling. Cause a couple of times, I was like, I can't do no more blood transfusions. I can't do no more operations.' Watching his sons, LaMelo and Lonzo, in the NBA and LiAngelo rising as a hip-hop artist, gave him the strength to keep going. 'That made me feel better. So, then I was like, Let me go ahead and just do these other surgeries and blood transfusions.' Further, LaVar wants people to treat health issues with urgency. 'From my experience the last couple months, I want to get in people's heads the importance of taking care of your health, especially Black people, because sometimes we're not trying to go to the hospital... And sometimes it's a little more serious than what you think.' Reflecting on how he nearly didn't make it, Ball shared his terrifying reality, 'The doctors said, Big Baller, you were very close to having to shut it down. But they were quick enough to give me the blood transfusions and keep that poison from going throughout my body.' 'I still eat my sugar, but I pay attention to it... Because I'm going to tell you this, a little amputation and a little of this, it could all have been prevented.' Even after the amputation, Ball remains focused on his mission. 'OK, my foot is gone, but my brain is still here. So, I might not be able to move as fast… but what's the next step? Do I keep talking about the brand? Still keep talking about shoes?' He added, 'I got a lot of limbs to come off. I'm hard to kill. I got some bigger stuff that the Big Baller still gotta do.' In the end, it was his family and his relentless belief in his own purpose that carried him through. 'As long as I can smile and see my boys, I'm good... I still got folks around me that work hard and understand my drive to build a brand, to make shoes and to make other folks have the confidence in what they're doing.' Also Read: Who's responsible for Tom Thibodeau's exit from New York Knicks? NBA insider spills beans on front office decision In spirit, LaVar has not changed one bit, continuing his bold approach to life and his story, for many, could be the right inspiration as he fought the battle the hardest way possible.
South China Morning Post
22-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Who's Big Baller Brand's controversial CEO LaVar Ball? The father of NBA stars Lonzo of Chicago Bulls and LaMelo of Charlotte Hornets, plus rapper LiAngelo, recently had a leg amputation
Athletic apparel company Big Baller Brand 'BBB' CEO and Ball in the Family star LaVar Ball, father of Chicago Bulls' Lonzo Ball, Charlotte Hornets' LaMelo Ball, and rapper LiAngelo, recently had his leg amputated. In an interview with Slam, the 57-year-old businessman revealed that a foot infection turned into a dangerous affliction when it reached his bloodstream because he hadn't taken his diabetes seriously. Advertisement 'First, they cut off a couple of toes. Then they cut off my foot. Then they said, We gotta go almost knee high for another surgery,' he recalled, before admitting that the procedures, paired with multiple blood transfusions, took a toll on his mental health . 'It made me think, 'Man, just kill me and let me go about my business.'' However, his sons 'kept [him] rolling' and now, he's advocating for diabetes awareness. Ball once said on ESPN's First Take that he could go head-to-head with NBA legend Michael Jordan and beat him – and declared his son Lonzo a better player than four-time NBA champion Steph Curry, but he refused to thank Donald Trump for helping bail LiAngelo out when he got caught shoplifting in China in 2017, per Forbes. So what do we know about the controversial LA entrepreneur? What's his background? LaVar Ball addresses a press conference in Prienai, Lithuania, ahead of his sons LaMelo Ball and LiAngelo Ball playing for the Vytautas club, in 2018. Photo: AFP Photo Ball grew up in South Los Angeles with four brothers – LaFrance, LaValle, LaRenzo and LaShon, according to an interview he did with MaxPreps. He attended Canoga Park High School and majored in criminal justice at university, aspiring to be a US Marshall, according to ESPN.
USA Today
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
LaVar Ball opens up about condition that led to amputation: 'Don't feel sorry for me'
LaVar Ball opens up about condition that led to amputation: 'Don't feel sorry for me' LaVar Ball, the CEO of Big Baller Brand and father of Lonzo Ball, LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball, is opening up about the serious medical condition that led to his right foot being amputated. Ball revealed to Slam magazine that he was hospitalized for more than a month with life-threatening complications of diabetes, which ultimately led to the amputation of his root and several blood transfusions. Ball said his hospital stay coincided with LiAngelo Ball's song "Tweaker" going viral in January: "Funny how life works sometimes." "I had an infection on my foot that started spreading through my blood due to not paying attention to my diabetes," Ball, 57, said in his first interview since the operation. "I ended up having to get my leg amputated. First, they cut off a couple of toes. Then they cut off my foot. Then they said, 'We gotta go almost knee high for another surgery.'Three surgeries. And then there were also the blood transfusions. Not one, not two, not three, four different times." LAVAR BALL makes first public comments since having foot amputated TMZ first reported the news by circulating an image of Ball using a wheelchair with a bandage over his right leg. Ball later confirmed the procedure in a TikTok video posted on @primbyontwitch's account. "Everyone heard what happened. And y'all can take my foot, but you know what you can't take? That Primby account," Ball said. Despite appearing to be in good spirits in the social media video, Ball said his medical condition greatly impacted his mental health and had him questioning if "it was worth going through." "I'm the Big Baller. I'm hard to kill," Ball said, highlighting his larger-than-life personality that made him a mainstay in the headlines. "But I must admit that my boys kept me rolling. Cause a couple of times, I was like,'I can't do no more blood transfusions. I can't do no more operations. I'm just ready to shut it down. It's enough for me.' But I'm here for a bigger purpose." LaVar Ball: 'Don't feel sorry for me' Ball credited his three sons – Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, 27, rapper LiAngelo Ball, 26, and Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, 23 – for providing him the motivation to "keep going" and look for the silver lining. "My foot is gone, but my brain is still here," Ball said. "I might not be able to move as fast as I did and do other things like that, but what's the next step? Do I keep talking about the brand? Still keep talking about shoes? Still go out to meet people? It makes me feel way better in looking at the outcome to go forward because I still want to be on this journey." The Ball brothers and their outspoken dad burst onto the scene in 2016 when Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo led Chino Hills High School to a perfect 35-0 record, a state championship and No. 1 overall ranking in the nation. Ball parlayed the family's fame into the sports apparel company Big Baller Brand, which he co-founded in 2016. "Seeing what my boys are doing out there, they're like,'Dad you're the toughest dude I know.' That made me keep going," Ball said. "As long as I can smile and see my boys, I'm good. But this whole experience made me realize, (you're) lucky that you have family to get you through some stuff. But don't feel sorry for me." Ball is not the only member of the family who has dealt with medical adversity. Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft, was sidelined nearly three years with a recurring left knee injury that required three surgeries. He returned to the court for the Bulls in October after last playing for the team on Jan. 14, 2022. Tina Ball, mother of the Ball brothers, suffered a stroke in February 2017. "I just deal with it. Whatever it is," Ball told ESPN at the time. "Things are gonna happen in life. Either you are gonna help do something about it or you just gonna let it happen and destroy you." The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Los Angeles Times
18-03-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
LaVar Ball leg amputated due to diabetes: ‘Good to have my foot cut off as opposed to being dead'
When LaVar Ball first addressed having his right foot amputated, he seemed to be taking the matter in stride. 'Did y'all forget I'm LaVar?' the father of NBA players Lonzo and LaMelo Ball and rising rap star/former professional basketball player LiAngelo Ball said last month on TikTok. 'If I wanted to, I'd grow it back!' In a first-person article published Tuesday by Slam magazine, however, the famously vociferous Papa Ball revealed that he wasn't always so upbeat about his medical situation — and that he ended up losing more than just his foot over the course of three operations since December. 'I had an infection on my foot that started spreading through my blood due to not paying attention to my diabetes,' Ball wrote. 'I ended up having to get my leg amputated. First, they cut off a couple of toes. Then they cut off my foot. Then they said, 'We gotta go almost knee high for another surgery.' Three surgeries. And then there were also the blood transfusions. Not one, not two, not three, four different times. 'All those surgeries and blood transfusions, it made me question whether it was worth going through it sometimes. It made me think, 'Man, just kill me and let me go about my business.' It made me think that maybe it's time for me to shut it down. 'But then seeing what my boys are doing out there, they're like, 'Dad you're the toughest dude I know.' That made me keep going. ... It was good to have that backing from my boys. One of the things that makes me go is when they are all together. When they are all together, I feel strong.' With an over-the-top personality he used to promote his own business ventures, Ball became a well-known figure in the sports world while his sons were basketball stars at Chino Hills High School. Now he says he intends to use his platform to encourage others to look after their own well-being better than he did. 'From my experience the last couple months, I want to get in people's heads the importance of taking care of your health — especially Black people, because sometimes we're not trying to go to the hospital, we will try to sleep it off or say, 'Yeah, we'll get to it later,'' Ball wrote. 'And sometimes it's a little more serious than what you think. 'I look at my situation like this: I've talked to some of my people that's my age that's been calling me that have cancer. And they say, 'We thought we got it all, but we didn't,' and so the organs are getting tore up in the inside. Now these folks are dying. And these are my friends that are around my age, in the 50s and dying of cancer. 'Just for me to have my foot cut off, I got another one. I'm good to have my foot cut off as opposed to being dead. But if I don't go at the end of last year during Christmas to get that infection looked at, [an infection] that's been around for maybe a month or two on the bottom of my foot, this would be a different type of story.'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
LaVar Ball says he's 'hard to kill,' recounts foot amputation, health scare, sons' success
Approximately one month after having his right foot amputated, LaVar Ball provided details of what caused the serious medical issue and the process of having his foot removed. Ball explained that not taking proper care of his diabetes led to the amputation in a first-person account for SLAM magazine. What began as an infection began spreading from his toes to his foot and eventually required the removal of a part of his lower leg. "First, they cut off a couple of toes. Then they cut off my foot. Then they said, We gotta go almost knee high for another surgery," Ball described. "Three surgeries. And then there were also the blood transfusions. Not one, not two, not three, four different times." Lavar Ball reportedly had his foot amputated after suffering a serious medical issue. 💔🙏🏽 — Rain Drops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) February 19, 2025 Despite the perilous development, Ball appeared to be maintain his swaggering demeanor in his first public appearance since the procedure. He was a bit more humble and reflective in his column, admitting that the ordeal of surgeries and transfusions left him feeling like he wanted to "shut it down." Ultimately, Ball says his family — and the success of his sons — inspired him to continue with treatment. Most of this was happening as LiAngelo Ball's song "Tweaker" became a huge hit, in addition to LaMelo Ball's ascendance to stardom with the Charlotte Hornets and Lonzo Ball's comeback from a serious knee injury. LaMelo's IG Story with LaVar Ball: "I love u pops" — (@Ballislife) February 20, 2025 However, Ball also used his platform to inform and warn readers not to neglect health concerns as he did. "So, now I'm telling folks, if you got diabetes, don't just be like, 'Oh, that's just diabetes,'" he said. "I still eat my sugar, but I pay attention to it and do it in moderation. Get your checkups, do what you're supposed to do. If you don't have insurance, go to urgent care." "[...] I realized through this process that if you stop trying to waste time feeling sorry for yourself and figure out what the next step is, then you'd be able to better deal with any life challenge," Ball added. "I look at it like this, 'OK, my foot is gone, but my brain is still here.' So, I might not be able to move as fast as I did and do other things like that, but what's the next step?" Ball also said he realized that people his age (57) are dying from cancer. By comparison, his condition seems less dire in his view, especially when he's able to enjoy the success of his sons and his Big Baller Brand. "For me, it's all about Triple B's, the brand," he said, reminding readers that little has changed for him despite recent medical issues.
