LaVar Ball is arguably the most controversial parent in sports. Yes, he’s helped guide his oldest son, Lonzo Ball, to being a first team All-American at UCLA and to being the L.A. Lakers’ second pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, but his loud mouth and over-the-top claims to generate attention rub many the wrong way.
Does “I’ll tell you right now, he’s [Lonzo Ball] better than Steph Curry to me” ring a bell?
Or, how about, “To me, ‘Zo is the best player in the world…I don’t know if he can beat (LeBron James and Russell Westbrook) one-on-one, but I know he can beat them five-on-five.”
However, no matter how you feel about Ball, there’s no arguing that his kind gesture on Wednesday came from a good place.
Ball surprised his long-time handyman, Felipe, with both a new truck and a new job.
According to ESPN, Ball has known Felipe for 15 years, and when he heard the handyman was having trouble commuting to work because of transmission problems, he stepped in. Ball bought a 2017 Toyota Tundra, which brought tears to Felipe’s eyes.
The video of the surprise was posted by Mike Henry, who works at CarMax.
“It’s just something I did for him,” Ball told ESPN. “He’s been working a long time trying to make ends meet. That car ain’t gonna get him from place to place. Now he has a car that can get him from Point A to Point B.”
Not only that, but Ball offered Felipe the job of property manager for Big Baller Brand, which sells men’s, women’s and kid’s athletic apparel inspired by Ball’s three Chino Hill’s, Calif. raised basketball-loving sons.
Ball came up big, proving that actions do in fact speak louder than words, and gestures like that are what Big Ballin really is about.
