Even before Lonzo Ball stepped foot on an NBA court, his father, LaVar Ball, was making quite the name for himself. Using Lonzo’s fame as a podium, LaVar, with his outlandish statements, effectively seized public attention. These laughable statements — one being that his son is a better player than Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry — were obviously absurd. That absurdity was exactly LaVar’s intention.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQroHWCFASI/

LaVar knows that these claims are bizarre and makes them specifically to draw public attention. Why? To create a following by drawing interest to himself, Lonzo, the Ball family and most importantly, his new Big Baller Brand. All of these claims and gestures are part of one truly ingenious money-making scheme.

This carefully laid-out blueprint is becoming more and more transparent as time wears on. Recently, LaVar publicly showed off his new 16,000-square-foot mansion in Chino Hills, California, on video. His fame — and his fortune — are only growing with his notoriety and the expansion of Big Baller Brand.

Astonishingly, the majority of the American public still hesitates to acknowledge or realize this man’s true motives. Many view him as one trying to “revolutionize the sneaker industry.” This is not at all the case. While the limited production of Lonzo’s Big Baller Brand ZO2 sneakers warrants a somewhat high price, their absurd, near-$500 price is a clear reflection of LaVar’s greed. His statement that if “you can’t afford the ZO2s, you’re not a Big Baller,” furthers confirms this.

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— Big Baller Brand (@bigballerbrand) October 26, 2017

LaVar’s use of his son as the mechanism for growing his fame and fortune is sickening. Big Baller Brand was not created for the good of his family, but for LaVar himself. LaVar is not interested in honestly backing Lonzo’s NBA endeavors, but rather in using his son as the catalyst for attaining his own fame and fortune. Using TV interviews discussing Lonzo as free advertising, he has effectively captured the public spotlight for himself. LaVar is quickly becoming a cultural icon through the media’s fixation on his intentional senselessness.

With each and every bit of his antics, LaVar continues to play off of his son’s fame for his own good and get away with it. At this point, no one, not even Lonzo, has challenged LaVar on his true motives. This man is using an inept media to slide into the limelight. His position in the limelight has led to public intrigue and thus increased sales for his Big Baller Brand.

Many have characterized his new brand and venture as “shift[ing] the power in favor of the athlete.” This is a blatantly wrong, overly complicated sentiment trying to make logical sense out of a much simpler reality. Big Baller Brand was clearly founded upon a foundation of greed. The “power” those speak of in this scenario is not in Lonzo’s hands but in LaVar’s.

The reality of the situation is quite clear. LaVar is playing a clickbait-centered media to pave his way to fame and fortune. With the public’s current inadequacy at realizing his core motives, this plan has been and will continue to be an effective way to attain the riches he desires.

This is an opinion article and does not reflect the views of The Tulane Hullabaloo. Grant is a freshman at Newcomb-Tulane College. He can be reached at [email protected].