It’s rather hard to find anybody in the sports media realm that isn’t irritating or insufferable to at least a certain extent.
You’ll find most of those liberal talking heads spewing ridiculous “hot takes” on ESPN but they’re generally all over the place on social media and other networks.
And just recently an obnoxious father of an NBA star was banned from ESPN for an absurd “sexist” reason but it was the host’s fault for taking it wildly out of context.
LaVar Ball is one of the most obnoxious people who exploded onto basketball’s biggest stage while his son, Lonzo Ball, was a star freshman point guard at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
He was drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017 and ever since LaVar has proven to be one of the biggest loudmouth helicopter parents (a parent that vicariously lives and uses their children to achieve what they never had) to ever live.
Seriously, LaVar is worse than Serena and Venus Williams’ father ever was by a long shot and the patriarchy of the Williams’ family was always in the news putting pressure on his daughters regularly.
In fact, LaVar’s helicopter parenting was so awful that he used his son’s NBA stardom to create an ugly overpriced apparel brand, Big Baller Brand, that was given a whopping F grade by the Better Business Bureau.
To give you an idea of how much a troll LaVar is; the worst thing he probably ever said was that he could beat Michael Jordan in a one-on-one game in basketball. Yes, he said that.
But recently he appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” with co-hosts Max Kellerman and Stephen A. Smith and moderated by Molly Qerim – who is married to former NBA player and co-host of “Jalen and Jacoby” and “NBA Countdown,” Jalen Rose.
LaVar appeared on the show last week – he’s appeared multiple times on the show over the last couple of years so they are very familiar with the bombastic presence of him – to discuss how his son was included in a blockbuster trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans.
He came under fire when they were discussing a certain topic and Qerim wanted to change it to another subject by asking him if he wanted to “switch gears.”
To which LaVar responded, “You can switch gears with me anytime.”
Qerim didn’t immediately get offended on-air but it became quite a thing with ESPN network executives after it aired and the “First Take” moderator essentially put a complaint against him, then claiming the higher-ups “had my back.”
She told TMZ Sports saying about her husband having a problem with what he said, “I think Jalen would have just liked if he had apologized to me publicly … I’m satisfied. Yeah, 100 percent. ESPN was really supportive, and I appreciate that all the executives had my back. So, much appreciated.”
But what exactly did he say that was so controversial? Did she possibly misconstrue what he said as a sexual euphemism? Was it taken wildly out of context? Did she overact?
The simple answer is yes of course she did.
It was clear Qerim had other things on her mind. She’s the one who made it about sex and it seems like the “First Take” star was projecting.
LaVar responded after hearing he was banned by saying, I don’t even have to respond to that on the fact I meant no sexual intent. Switch gears means change topics to me. [Qerim’s] mind in the gutter if she thinks it’s something else. The only time I’d hit on her is if she’s breaking into my house and I mistake her for the Boogie Man.”