ESPN basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale recently tweeted LaVar Ball about his son Lonzo's poor defense. File photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI |
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May 6 (UPI) -- LaVar Ball isn't making many friends after the release of his son's first signature shoes. One of his detractors is college basketball analyst Dick Vitale.
Vitale sounded off on Ball late Thursday after Lonzo Ball's ZO2's were released on the Big Ball Brand website. The shoes are currently available for pre-sale at $495, but don't begin shipping until November. Many critics questioned the price point on the shoes, but LaVar Ball wasn't having it.
"Big Baller's loose! If you can't afford the ZO2'S, you're NOT a BIG BALLER," LaVar Ball tweeted.
Vitale, 77, responded by offering up some constructive criticism for Lonzo before he heads into the 2017 NBA Draft.
"U better be working with ur guy on D / if he plays D like he did in @NCAA @Isaih_Thomas @JohnWall @StephenCurry30 will light him up for 50," Vitale tweeted.
"In 38 yrs @espn I have NEVER seen the likes of LaVar. He's captain of my All Wacko Team," Vitale said in another tweet.
Lonzo is 19-years-old. He was an All-American in his only season playing for UCLA. Ball averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 assists, and six rebounds per game in 36 games for the Bruins. But Ball shrank in the Bruins' biggest game of the season, scoring just 10 points in its Sweet Sixteen loss on March 24 to the Kentucky Wildcats.
According to DraftExpress, Lonzo is expected to be the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and go to the Phoenix Suns. Washington's Markelle Fultz is projected as the top pick for the Boston Celtics.