Latest news with #LiAngelo
Chicago Tribune
19-03-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
LaVar Ball credits sons for giving him strength through life-threatening health scare: ‘My boys kept me rolling'
LaVar Ball is best known in the basketball world for promoting and supporting his three sons, including Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball. But the roles have reversed in the last few months as Ball has leaned on Lonzo and brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo through a severe health scare. In a personal essay published Tuesday in Slam Magazine, Ball opened up about a serious infection that led to his right leg being amputated in January. Ball shared that he went to the doctor around Christmas to seek treatment for an infection on the bottom of his foot. He had put off seeking attention for the infection — which ultimately was diagnosed as a symptom of untreated diabetes — for at least a month, hoping it would go away on its own. By late December, the infection had spread to Ball's cardiovascular system. The outlook was bleak — although the infection easily could have been treated in the early days and weeks of its development, it had become life-threatening. Treatment started out conservatively with the removal of a few toes. But the infection had spread too far, resulting in the amputation of his right foot just above the ankle. A third operation removed one final segment of the leg below the knee. The process required four blood transfusions, keeping Ball hospitalized for a month. At times, Ball wrote, he was ready to give up. The surgeries and transfusions were painful. The uncertainty was worse. During those moments, Ball said he leaned heavily on his sons to provide motivation to continue treatment. 'I'm the Big Baller,' Ball wrote in Slam. '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. I'm just ready to shut it down. It's enough for me. But I'm here for a bigger purpose.' The Ball family kept quiet throughout LaVar's treatment. But TMZ broke the news of the operation on Feb. 19 during the NBA All-Star break. The Slam column offered a first opportunity for Ball to share his experience outside of brief social media mentions. But Ball wasn't just clearing the air — he also was advocating for others to learn from his experience. Ball emphasized the importance of seeking medical attention for diabetes, especially in the Black community. Black adults are 60% more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes and 40% more likely to die from the disease, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 'So, now I'm telling folks, if you got diabetes, don't just be like, 'Oh, that's just diabetes,' ' Ball wrote. '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. Because I'm going to tell you this, a little amputation and a little of this, it could all have been prevented.' Ball voiced optimism about the future despite the amputation. His three sons have found success. LiAngelo made his debut at Rolling Loud music festival as he builds a budding music career. LaMelo is a star for the Charlotte Hornets. And Lonzo returned to the court this season after missing nearly three years recovering from a left knee injury, although he currently is sidelined indefinitely with a sprained right wrist. 'Seeing what my boys are doing out there, they're like, 'Dad you're the toughest dude I know,' ' Ball wrote. 'That made me keep going. Even though I'm a bad man — I don't need much — 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.'
New York Times
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
LaVar Ball says sons ‘kept me rolling' amid health issues, leg amputation
LaVar Ball, the outspoken father of NBA stars Lonzo and LaMelo Ball and rapper LiAngelo, recently opened up about the health issues that led to a portion of his leg being amputated to SLAM magazine. Ball said in the self-authored piece that an infection due to complications from diabetes led to him being hospitalized for over a month. Doctors performed three separate amputations on his right leg, starting with several toes, then his foot, before a final surgery to amputate just below the knee. Ball said he also required blood transfusions on four different occasions. Advertisement Ball said he questioned 'whether it was worth going through it sometimes' but said that his children were there for support. 'I'm the Big Baller. I'm hard to kill,' Ball wrote. '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.' LaMelo, LaVar's youngest son, is averaging a career-high 25.4 points per game with the Charlotte Hornets, while Lonzo, the oldest brother, returned to the floor with the Chicago Bulls this year after missing two full seasons with injuries. LiAngelo, who played in the G-League and internationally from 2018 to 2024, began releasing music in January. His first single 'Tweaker' went viral and led to him performing at NBA All-Star Weekend in February. In January, LiAngelo signed a record deal with Def Jam Recordings worth up to $13 million, per ESPN. Their father wrote that seeing the success of his children, along with the health struggles he's seen other people his age deal with, has helped keep him grounded and give him perspective. With his health in order, LaVar said he's looking to use his platform to encourage others to learn from him. '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,' LaVar wrote. 'So, now I'm telling folks, if you got diabetes, don't just be like, Oh, that's just diabetes. 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. Because I'm going to tell you this, a little amputation and a little of this, it could all have been prevented. 'And I look at it like this, too: 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.'
Fox News
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Controversial NBA dad LaVar Ball has foot amputated following medical issue: report
LaVar Ball, the loud-spoken father of Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo, recently underwent a procedure to have his right foot amputated, according to TMZ. A photo posted to the site showed Ball's amputation appears to be below the knee. Fox News Digital reached out to Ball for comment. Ball was outspoken as his eldest son, Lonzo, burst onto the scene with UCLA — he was eventually the second overall pick in the NBA Draft — and eventually hyped his sons up to incredible heights. The father, who also made appearances in the WWE, even said he would beat Michael Jordan in a one-on-one. His most successful son, despite LiAngelo's recent smash hit "Tweaker" that Lil Wayne recently remixed, is undoubtedly LaMelo, who is averaging 27.3 points and 7.2 assists this season, his fifth in the NBA. LaMelo was the third pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, three years after Lonzo was selected, to the Charlotte Hornets, where he still plays. LaMelo played professional overseas for a year with LiAngelo instead of playing in college. LaVar is the CEO of the Big Baller Brand, which he and his sons have constantly represented. He was a practice squad member of both the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, but never played in an NBA game. Lonzo is currently a guard for the Chicago Bulls. He missed the entirety of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons due to injuries. LaVar got into a feud with President Donald Trump during his first presidency after LiAngelo and other UCLA teammates were arrested for shoplifting in China. In fact, LaVar went as far as to say Trump would not have lost the 2020 election had the two never feuded. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
