LaVar Ball gives Lonzo Ball 'a rep he doesn't deserve,' says Bryce Alford

UCLA teammate thinks LaVar Ball has created issues for his son's repuation

LaVar Ball's 15 minutes of fame as the outspoken father of UCLA star Lonzo Ball and UCLA-bound brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo have been controversial, to say the least. The father has gone so far as proclaiming Lonzo as the better option between he and two-time NBA MVP winner Steph Curry. But his brags have also unfairly given Lonzo Ball a bad reputation, according to his UCLA teammate Bryce Alford who spoke out on Monday.

"It's just an unfair thing for Lonzo just because I think he gets a rep he doesn't deserve. And I don't want to say anything poorly against LaVar, I think he's done a good job of getting him ready to be where he's at and he's helped him become a great basketball player. So, I don't want to say anything that way, but he does get a persona that's just totally not him. He's an absolutely great kid, great teammate and truly cares about what his teammates are doing more so than himself. So if anything, I hope NBA people can see that."

Regardless of whether you think LaVar Ball has crossed a line, his impact on his son is viewed is undeniable. Although Lonzo is a soft-spoken and "absolutely great kid," as Alford put it, he'll likely enter the NBA with critics at least in part because of his father.

Lonzo is a projected top-five pick in the NBA Draft, which takes place June 22. He and Alford spent one season as teammates at UCLA in 2016-17 where the Bruins (31-5) lost to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.