LaVar Ball: Jay-Z bought three pairs of ZO2s, praises basketball dad

Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Rapper Jay-Z supports LaVar Ball, so much so that he bought three pairs of his son's ZO2 sneakers.

Jay-Z spoke about the boisterous basketball dad Friday on Tidal. He was doing an interview with Rap Radar.

The rapper spoke about many things, including his new album, life and the Ball family.

Lonzo Ball was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

The Los Angeles Lakers rookie was named Las Vegas Summer League MVP after averaging 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. His signature shoes still cost at least $495 on the Big Baller Brand website.

"LaVar Ball, he said, 'I'm going to start my own company.' Everybody's like, 'You're just mad at Nike.' He may go about things wrong, he may have a big mouth. But I bought three pairs," Jay-Z said.

"Why did I buy three pairs? That man has a vision of his own. Why wouldn't I support him? Why wouldn't I support him? He feels like he can move culture, and his son got a big enough name, and a big enough brand, that they can do it."

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"Nike had to start somewhere. Why do we get so upset when we, us as a culture want to start our own [expletive]? That [expletive] is puzzling to me. I sit back like, and I'm like, 'This makes no sense.' Why can't he start a sneaker [company]? [People say] 'You're dumb, your sneakers are terrible.' They [weren't] any more terrible than...I've seen some bad sneakers from Under Armour, I've seen some bad Michael Jordan sneakers."

Jay-Z, 37, and superstar wife Beyonce had twin babies, a daughter and son, on June 13 in Los Angeles. He also released his album 4:44 on June 30 on Tidal. The rapper announced a 31-city nationwide tour in July. Jay-Z's latest album was certified platinum in one week.