ADD STEVE KERR to the list of coaches upset with LaVar Ball and the publicity surrounding the “Kardashian of the NBA”, as the Golden State Warriors coach called him.
Speaking to reporters ahead of last night’s game against the Denver Nuggets, Kerr did not hold back when asked about Ball and comments made to ESPN in which he said coach Luke Walton is “losing control” of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kerr said he was not condemning ESPN, which laid off several reporters last year, but was speaking to a larger societal issue.
“This is not an ESPN judgment, it’s a societal thing more than anything, but where we’re going is we’re going away from covering the game and we’re getting closer to just sensationalised news,” he said.
It’s not even news, really, it’s just complete nonsense but if you package that irrational nonsense with some glitter and some ribbon, people are going to watch.
“I talked to people in the media this year. I said, ‘why do you guys have to cover that guy?’ They said, ‘we don’t want to, nobody wants to but our bosses tell us we have to because of the ratings, because of the readership’.
“Somewhere, I guess in Lithuania, LaVar Ball is laughing, people are laughing, people are eating out of his hands for no apparent reason, other than he’s become the Kardashian of the NBA and that sells and that’s what’s true in politics, in entertainment and now in sports.
“It doesn’t matter if there’s any substance involved with an issue. It’s just can we make it really interesting for no apparent reason.”
The full transcript of Kerr’s comments reveal a sentiment similar to Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle’s words on Sunday when he called Ball and the ESPN coverage “a disgrace”.
Ball made the comments to ESPN from Lithuania, where he is helping his two younger sons settle in playing for BC Vytautas.
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Fair play to ya Chris,don’t be afraid to fail , hope Wales go all the way.
They need to scrap that poxy yellow card rule , to many players are missing huge games for silly yellow cards . That ref was trigger happy with his cards , poor Ramsey gonna miss this biggest game of gis life for an accidental handball ,bullshit
Considering the length of this tournament, should have been an amnesty by the semi’s….. Stupid rules….
Crazy that there’s no amnesty.
Yellow Cards in consecutive games should result in a one match ban….. Other than that they shouldn’t count. Very harsh. He was brilliant today…..
Agree Ryan,he should at least be able to appeal it.
Totally agree. No way should you miss a semi or final..carry it forward and maybe make it a 2 game ban for next qualifying tournament? ??-
Belgium : A country that bottles great beer and big tournaments. Fair play to Wales.
England to sign up Colman in £10 million deal.
Emotional Cookie-monster motivates an entire country. Sports people of all grades appreciate the hard work that goes into creating the winning team effort. That was a proud moment for our Celtic comrades!!
Bale vs Ronaldo Semi-final… can’t wait
Team player v me feiner
I really hope they go all the way
Portugal have really rode their luck in their last 2 games and have not been at all impressive…. Wales have every chance….. could they repeat Denmark and Greece as being underdog champions? Either way I fancy them against Portugal.
Amazing amazing achievement by Wales which kind of puts were we are as a football team into perspective. Look at how they beat Belgium- playing football & not in anyway hanging on. We on the other hand seem to have this slight sense of euphoria about the euros yet we literally can’t play football. Still long ball rubbish. The sense is that we are on the right track – we’re not. And the media is still on about how great our fans are. Some joke.
Fair play to Wales. We have vastly improved since the last tournament. no disrespect to Brady but she’s a not Bail.
damn autocorrect. Brady is not Bail
Well england were you watching…??.I rest my case!!
What case is that?