LaVar Ball claims he could beat LeBron James one-on-one in his prime: 'He too weak'

Mon, Jul 16, 2018, 4:50 PM·3 min read

There isn’t a whole lot LaVar Ball hasn’t said yet. He’d beat Michael Jordan one-on-one. “No one wants to play” for Luke Walton, who currently coaches his son, Lonzo Ball. His wife had a stroke so she “could be quiet for a minute.”

Now, he’s claiming that he’d beat LeBron James one-on-one because James is simply “too weak.”

LaVar Ball averaged 2.2 points per game at Washington State

LaVar Ball certainly was a strong man back in his heyday. He spent time with the Jets and Panthers — though he didn’t make either team’s roster — and London Monarchs as a tight end in the mid-1990s. But as for his basketball production, there was very little. He played in 26 games for Washington State in the 1987-1988 campaign and averaged 2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. His career high was 12 points in a blowout loss to Arizona.

Nevertheless, Ball is confident he could overpower James, as he told Fanatics View:

He too weak. Back in my heyday, can’t nobody hold me. 270? Benching 500? All I gotta do is back you in, I’ll lift all off them up off their feet.
Don’t need no video … You want to see me back in the hey day? I was a bad mama jama … My will to win was too hard. One-on-one I bet on myself all day.

According to Basketball Reference, Ball stood 6’6″ in “his heyday,” and a Los Angeles Times article from 1989 listed him at 255 pounds during his college years. James, meanwhile, is listed at 6’8″ and 250 pounds, though that second number has always been a source of mystery. And James, if you forgot, is a four-time MVP, three-time NBA champion, three-time NBA Finals MVP, 14-time All-NBA selection and among the greatest players to ever play the game.

LaVar and LeBron need to get along now

James and Ball haven’t had the best relationship in the past. Last year, Ball appeared on Chris Broussard’s show on FS1 and said James’ children would struggle in the NBA because of their father’s incredible career. James didn’t take to that too kindly.

“He can talk all about his brand, talk about his sons, talk about basketball, talk about me,” James told ESPN. “But keep my family out of this.”

But in the immediate aftermath of James signing with the Lakers, Ball predicted several championships. And Ball, speaking on V-103 in Atlanta earlier this month, thinks the two will be just fine in Los Angeles as James teams up with Lonzo Ball.

We’re gonna get along. You know why? Because we have three things in common, which is family, business and winning. We got those three things — we can’t lose.