Lonzo Ball will soon be calling the Staples Center home when the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round draft pick plays for the team next season, but on Monday he took over the stadium for very different reasons.
The newest NBA recruit was joined by his loud-mouthed dad, LaVar, and younger brother, LaMelo Ball, for WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” — and the family certainly made an impact in their pro wrestling debut.
The trio joined The Miz for a very memorable edition of his WWE “must-see” talk show, but not as usually happens with the Balls, not everything went according to script.
Never ones to shy away from self promotion, the ring featured four mannequins wearing “Big Baller” T-shirts, with LaVar introducing Lonzo as “not only the face of the Big Baller brand, but the face of the Lakers,” as his oldest son made his Staples Center debut.
“It is an honor to sit in this ring with the Big Baller family,” The Miz told them, sucking up to the special guests while trying to jump into a partnership with them.
That idea did not sit with LaVar, who told him that the Miz stood for “miz-interpretted zone.” (Yep, that’s definitely not a real word).
“Or, it stands for a million zippers … you’d better stay in your lane, or the hunt is on and you’re the prey,” Ball added.
“There are only two dudes better than I am and I’m both of them,” he went on to boast. (Yup, that doesn’t make a lot of sense either…)
LaVar and The Miz then both stripped their shirts off — and it was on, especially when Dean Ambrose came out offering to represent the Big Baller Brand.
LaMelo, a 15-year-old at Chino Hills High School, also discovered the danger of a wearing a mic on live TV as he told his dad: “Beat that n—–.” Oops, that’s a hard lesson to learn.
WWE was quick to respond on a statement saying: “The inappropriate language used by a guest during the ‘Miz TV’ segment was not scripted nor reflects WWE’s values,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Watch the video of the whole circus above — and be sure to keep an eye out for the ongoing LaVar show once the NBA season actually tips off in October.