LaVar Ball is best known in the basketball world for promoting and supporting his three sons, including Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball.
But the roles have reversed in the last few months as Ball has leaned on Lonzo and brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo through a severe health scare. In a personal essay published Tuesday in Slam Magazine, Ball opened up about a serious infection that led to his right leg being amputated in January.
Ball shared that he went to the doctor around Christmas to seek treatment for an infection on the bottom of his foot. He had put off seeking attention for the infection — which ultimately was diagnosed as a symptom of untreated diabetes — for at least a month, hoping it would go away on its own.
By late December, the infection had spread to Ball’s cardiovascular system. The outlook was bleak — although the infection easily could have been treated in the early days and weeks of its development, it had become life-threatening.
Treatment started out conservatively with the removal of a few toes. But the infection had spread too far, resulting in the amputation of his right foot just above the ankle. A third operation removed one final segment of the leg below the knee. The process required four blood transfusions, keeping Ball hospitalized for a month.
At times, Ball wrote, he was ready to give up. The surgeries and transfusions were painful. The uncertainty was worse. During those moments, Ball said he leaned heavily on his sons to provide motivation to continue treatment.
“I’m the Big Baller,” Ball wrote in Slam. “I’m hard to kill. But I must admit that my boys kept me rolling. Cause a couple of times, I was like, I can’t do no more blood transfusions. I can’t do no more operations. I’m just ready to shut it down. It’s enough for me. But I’m here for a bigger purpose.”
The Ball family kept quiet throughout LaVar’s treatment. But TMZ broke the news of the operation on Feb. 19 during the NBA All-Star break.
The Slam column offered a first opportunity for Ball to share his experience outside of brief social media mentions. But Ball wasn’t just clearing the air — he also was advocating for others to learn from his experience.
Ball emphasized the importance of seeking medical attention for diabetes, especially in the Black community. Black adults are 60% more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes and 40% more likely to die from the disease, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“So, now I’m telling folks, if you got diabetes, don’t just be like, ‘Oh, that’s just diabetes,’ ” Ball wrote. “I still eat my sugar, but I pay attention to it and do it in moderation. Get your checkups, do what you’re supposed to do. If you don’t have insurance, go to urgent care. Because I’m going to tell you this, a little amputation and a little of this, it could all have been prevented.”
Ball voiced optimism about the future despite the amputation. His three sons have found success. LiAngelo made his debut at Rolling Loud music festival as he builds a budding music career. LaMelo is a star for the Charlotte Hornets.
And Lonzo returned to the court this season after missing nearly three years recovering from a left knee injury, although he currently is sidelined indefinitely with a sprained right wrist.
“Seeing what my boys are doing out there, they’re like, ‘Dad you’re the toughest dude I know,’ ” Ball wrote. “That made me keep going. Even though I’m a bad man — I don’t need much — it was good to have that backing from my boys. One of the things that makes me go is when they are all together. When they are all together, I feel strong.”
