LeBron James warned Lavar Ball not to play outside of his position and mention his kids' names again, even if he's just discussing their basketball potential, about a week and a half ago. Then, the boisterous Ball clapped back and let the world know he's not sweating what King James said. The next thing you know, Thursday night, while warming up to face the Bulls on the road, Lebron throws up a couple "flicted" looking jump shots. Those jumpers could maybe, sort of, possibly be taken as a shot at Ball's son, future lottery pick and former UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball and his unorthodox shooting form.
Here's a side-by-side comparison:
Is LeBron shading Lonzo Ball or nah? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/cJgzFjB7m5
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 31, 2017
That settles it. The Balls vs. 'Bron beef is on. Nike vs. Big Baller Brand.
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Pump your brakes, fam.
What if LeBron isn't quite that petty? What if he, as a basketball historian, was paying homage to former Chicago center Bill Cartwright, who manned the middle for the Bulls during their first Michael Jordan-led 3-peat? Certainly, the 32-year-old James, who grew up on '90s hoops, remembers Cartwright's horrific way of hoisting up free throws and baseline jumpers.
Heck, for all we know, James could've been mocking Hornets wing Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's shot. It's among the ugliest ever, too.