LaVar Ball Claims He Wanted Lakers to Trade Lonzo All Along

In typical LaVar Ball fashion, the Big Baller Brand CEO asserted confidence in his sons' NBA trajectories during an episode of First Take.

LaVar Ball is back. In case you missed it, the Monday edition of ESPN First Take featured Ball delivering another spiel about the Lakers' recent decision to trade his son, Lonzo, as part of a deal which netted them All-Star center Anthony Davis.

After news of the trade broke, LaVar quickly set Twitter ablaze when an interview of him declaring that the Lakers would never win another championship went viral. On Monday, Stephen A. Smith questioned LaVar about the statement, and whether he meant it. LaVar delivered quite the response.

"They let go of the best thing they had going for them," he began. "... These suckers. I'm playing chess. Y'all playing checkers. The best way to get Lonzo out of LA—is I said, 'You know what? I don't like New Orleans. Lonzo ain't going nowhere. He's the best in the world.' The LA Lakers ain't never gonna let him go. First thing they do is exactly what I want them to do: Let him go because it's raggedy over there."

LaVar goes on to reiterate that trading Lonzo to New Orleans was exactly what he wanted to happen, citing that the Lakers "crashing down" and moving on from head coach Luke Walton as the reason why.

"They should've had Magic [Johnson] coach," LaVar said.

Well, then. While Lonzo's departure for New Orleans likely means we'll see less and less of LaVar in the future. But don't worry, folks. He insisted that he'll still be in Los Angeles and that he won't be going anywhere. Only time will tell whether that holds true or not.