Michael Jordan Vs. LaVar Ball? NBA Legend Gives Response To LaVar Over His One-On-One Claim
Could a Michael Jordan vs. LaVar Ball one-on-one game be on the way in the near future? Probably not, but “MJ” has now spoken about LaVar Ball’s previous claims that he could defeat him on the hardwood. Just recently, the NBA legend that many consider the “G.O.A.T.” of the sport of basketball fired back at Mr. Ball’s comments regarding his one-on-one skills. The outspoken father of the three young basketball stars claimed he could defeat Michael Jordan if they had faced off, which, of course, kickstarted a lot of LaVar’s other outlandish statements in the media. So what did “His Airness” have to say with regards to Ball’s claims?
According to SLAM, Michael Jordan responded to LaVar Ball while in Santa Barbara, California, for the Jordan Flight School, a camp for kids learning basketball. The event not only featured Jordan on the court but also a reunion with his former teammate Scottie Pippen. During a Q&A session at the event, Jordan was asked about LaVar Ball saying he could take him one-on-one.
The former Chicago Bulls star joked, “You got to understand the source, I think he played college, maybe?”
From there, MJ added in the fact that he thought LaVar averaged about “2.2 points a game.”
The NBA great said he didn’t believe that Ball’s claim deserved a response, but since it was asked, he answered. From there, Jordan put LaVar on notice with a claim of his own.
“I don’t think he could beat me if I was one-legged,” Jordan remarked.
While it might not sell as many pay-per-views as Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather, the concept has some potential. However, one would think Jordan would probably not play on one leg at his current age as it would give LaVar unnecessary help. If the two played a game of “H-O-R-S-E,” Jordan wins easily on one leg. Still, as one of the all-time greatest players, it’s hard to argue with MJ when he makes a statement of what he could do on the court. The man hit free throws with his eyes closed before and made shots that seemed absolutely impossible for mere mortals.
LaVar Ball first made the crazy claim about being able to defeat MJ back in March when he talked with USA Today Sports.
During that talk, LaVar said, “Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one.”
Ball also talked some of his strategies, suggesting that his size would give him the advantage under the basket. In terms of weight, that may be true, but in terms of height, he’s only got one inch on the man, the myth, the legend. Jordan also has a few more basketball accolades and championships on his resume.
By the way, Michael Jordan isn’t the only NBA star to “mix it up” with LaVar through the media. In the past several months, Ball and NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal have been in a bit of a media feud. Just recently, Shaq dropped his own diss track aimed at LaVar, with a few kind words thrown in toward the end for good measure.
In addition to that, current NBA star Joel Embiid has been part of a mini-feud as well. The Sixers center basically suggested on Twitter that his teammate Ben Simmons needs to dunk on Lonzo Ball so hard this coming season that he’d run crying to his dad. Another tweet in which Embiid used an expletive toward LaVar earned him a nice $10,000 fine from the league.
In terms of MJ’s recent response, will it draw more comments from LaVar? Most likely, but MJ probably isn’t going to reply. Also, while a one-on-one battle in present day featuring Jordan vs. Ball might sell some pay-per-views, it’s probably not in MJ’s best interest to partake in the foolishness. If it was all about charity, then it just might work, but would LaVar participate if it wasn’t helping out his brand? One thing is for sure, though, and that is LaVar Ball is doing a good job of keeping his name in the public eye. He’s got some of the biggest legends in his son Lonzo Ball’s sport talking, so that’s what counts. Any publicity seems to be great publicity at this time for the man behind the Big Baller Brand.
[Featured Image by Elsa/Getty Images]
