LaVar Ball had something to say about being banned from ESPN for making comments to host Molly Qerim Rose that many considered inappropriate.
Ball was a guest on the network’s show “First Take” on June 17, and Rose, who’s married to former NBA player and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose, asked to “switch gears,” meaning change topics.
“You can switch gears with me anytime,” Ball replied.
A lot of viewers said they were offended by the comments, and people like Jemele Hill took Ball to task. She also suggested that he shouldn’t be let on the network again.
But according to ESPN spokesman Michael Skarka, the network already decided not to have Ball back and banned him from all of its platforms.
Ball spoke about the decision on Saturday to someone who then shared it on Twitter, and the 51-year-old said he couldn’t care less about it.
“How Im’a be banned and I don’t work for them?” he said in the clip. “I gotta be banned from ESPN? I got my own show.”
Ball also said his comments to Qerim were misconstrued, and she’s at fault for thinking they were sexual.
“I meant no sexual intent or nothing on the fact,” he explained. “Switch gears means change topics to me. Her mind in the gutter if she think it’s something else. Only time I’d hit on her, if she’s breaking in my house and I mistake her for the boogeyman.”
Ball was most likely referring to his own reality show on Facebook Watch called “Ball in the Family” that follows him and basketball sons Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball, as well as their mother Tina Ball.
Shortly after Ball’s response surfaced, retired NBA player Charles Barkley was asked about him being banned, and he blasted the reality star.
“Wherever LaVar Ball is, there’s a village missing an idiot,” he told TMZ. “We should just keep LaVar off television. That’ll be the best way to do it. “It’s really unfair to his son. His son is a good player and a nice kid. Keep him off TV. He’s an idiot.”
