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LaVar Ball Is Reportedly Pulling LaMelo Out of High School

LaVar intends to home school his 16-year-old son and train him himself.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Hoops patriarch and carnival barker LaVar Ball has reportedly decided to pull his 16-year-old son LaMelo out of Chino Hills during his junior year and homeschool him himself. According to a report from Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times Ball will also train him and plans to "make him the best basketball player ever." Sondheimer also noted that Ball "had already been having concerns" with Dennis Lattmore, the new coach at the school.

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LaVar has not exactly avoided the spotlight since Lonzo Ball was drafted No. 2 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers last summer. In September, he announced that LaMelo, his middle son, would soon be debuting his own signature sneaker under the family's Big Baller brand, potentially jeopardizing his NCAA eligibility. Here is what he said at the time, about the $395 shoe that is now available for preorder:

"He's going to have a shoe," LaVar said Saturday night during his son's 16th birthday party, held at an event space at the Chino Airport. "NCAA ain't going to tell me s---. Because they're not my boss. That's what they do, but they're not going to be like, 'Oh, LaVar, you can't bring that shoe out until we tell you.' What? Something that I'm doing for my family? That's mine? I'm not under no umbrella."

No on has been able to tell LaVar shit about anything since he and his family burst onto the national scene and, to be fair, his behavior does not seem to have impacted Lonzo's nascent career. But Lonzo also had four years of high school coaching and competition and one year of elite college basketball. Lamelo has spent two years in high school and may not even get to college, though LaVar told the Times that he still intends to attend UCLA.

On August 30, Ball announced a reality show about the family and the first episode debuted on Facebook the following day. New episodes will start next week on October 10. One thing about LaVar, you can't say he doesn't know how to generate some buzz.