If you love basketball or closely follow the National Basketball Association (NBA), chances are you’re familiar with the Ball family and their reality series “Ball in the Family.”
The show’s first season premiered on August 29, 2017, and had a whopping 26 million viewers. Since then, the popularity of “Ball in the Family” has only increased.
“Ball in the Family” offers an inside look into the personal and professional lives of LaVar, his wife Tina, and their three sons: Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo. The main focus is on their sons’ sports careers. This reality show gives fans a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of the Balls’ life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym0zONBjFwI
Where Can You Watch “Ball in the Family?”
You can watch all the episodes of “Ball in the Family” on Facebook Watch.
What Is “Ball in the Family” About?
“Ball in the Family” follows the lives of the Ball family members. While more focus is on the trajectory of the Ball sons’ basketball careers, the show also highlights their personal lives. They are presented as “normal people,” and the show tries to highlight their lives outside the spotlight of being sports stars.
“Ball in the Family” has six seasons, each consisting of 24 episodes, except the first and sixth seasons, which have 10 episodes each.
Every episode highlights a different aspect of the Ball family. While the first episode introduces LaVar, Tina, and their three boys to the viewers, subsequent episodes focus on the boys’ romantic interests and school and college lives.
Most of the episodes center on their basketball journey. Birthdays, vacations, and dates also become the subject of some other episodes. Tina’s recuperation after a stroke, the making of the family’s new home, and the Ball brothers’ romantic relationships are recurrent themes across seasons.
Fans get a chance to keep up with the Ball family’s candid and bittersweet moments and feel like an integral part of their lives.
Is “Ball in the Family” Scripted?
As a reality TV show, most parts of “Ball in the Family” are not scripted. The Balls candidly talk about different aspects of their lives. However, some reports claim that certain scenes, like when the family learns about Foster’s theft, are staged.
About Lonzo Ball
Lonzo Anderson Ball is the eldest son of the Ball family. As a point guard, he is now part of the Chicago Bulls. He earlier played with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Lonzo played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. In 2017, he got selected by Los Angeles Lakers. The following year, he earned the title of NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Born in 1997, Lonzo started playing basketball when he was only two. He began following LeBron James, his idol, when he was six. Lonzo received multiple national honors in high school and college, including the Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year, and USA Today Boys Basketball Player of the Year. ESPN named him number four overall in the 2016 class. He also received the Wayman Tisdale Award.
Lonzo was in an on-and-off relationship with Denise Garcia, who has appeared on “Ball in the Family” multiple times. They have a daughter, Zoey, who is also on the show.
In his spare time, Lonzo writes and composes rap lyrics. He has a few singles and albums to his name. He has said that he would have probably gotten into the rap industry if he were not a basketball player.
About LiAngelo Ball
LiAngelo Robert Ball is the second son of the Ball family. He is in the shooting guard position. He is part of the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. Before joining the NBA, LiAngelo was part of the Prienai of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He also played for the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association.
Like his elder brother, LiAngelo started playing basketball at a young age. He started training at the age of four. He played throughout his school and college years. During his senior years, LiAngelo earned the title All-Area Player of the Year in two daily bulletins.
In days leading up to UCLA’s regular season in 2017, LiAngelo and two teammates were arrested for swiping sunglasses from a high-end store in Hangzhou. While they were soon released from prison, UCLA suspended LiAngelo indefinitely. Soon after, LiAngelo withdrew from UCLA.
In 2019, LiAngelo had surgery for an ankle injury and couldn’t play in the NBA Summer League.
About LaMelo Ball
LaMelo LaFrance (Melo) is the youngest son of the Ball family. Like his eldest brother, LaMelo is a point guard. He has been part of the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA since 2020. Before this, he played with Prienai, Los Angeles Ballers, and Illawarra Hawks.
LaMelo was NBL Rookie of the Year in 2020, NBA Rookie of the Year and NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2021, and NBA All-Star in 2022.
Following his brothers’ footsteps, LaMelo started playing basketball at the age of four. During his senior season, he joined SPIRE Institute and Academy, where head coach Jermaine Jackson trained him.
Before his junior season, LaMelo was pulled from school because his father objected to the head coach and the school administration. He was then homeschooled, a decision that received much scrutiny and criticism from the media.
In 2017, Big Baller Brand, the Ball family’s athletic apparel company, made him the youngest sports player to have a signature shoe by releasing the Melo Ball 1. In 2021, he signed a deal with Puma.
March 2021, LaMelo fractured his wrist during a match and had to stop playing. Fortunately, he managed to make a quick recovery and started playing basketball again within 40 days.
About LaVar Ball
LaVar Christopher Ball was born in 1967 and brought up in South Los Angeles, California. Growing up, he was on the football and basketball teams as a quarterback and forward. He considered the basketball player Charles Barkley his idol.
LaVar signed with the New York Jets of the National Football League and played until 1995, after which he retired due to an injury. He co-founded Big Baller Brand (BBB) and set up the Junior Basketball Association (JBA).
With his then-to-be wife Tina, LaVar moved to Chino Hills in 1996. He believed that the hillsides offered a suitable training ground, and Chino Hills was closer to South Los Angeles. He married Tina, a former basketball player, in 1997. It is not surprising that LaVar began training his sons in basketball when they reached the age of four. All three played on his team, Big Ballers VXT.
In “Ball in the Family,” LaVar is presented as the passionate patriarch who holds the family together. However, the show also highlights LaVar’s gentleness and caring nature as the father.
Due to viewers getting in on the Ball family’s internal affairs, LaVar’s parenting style has become a hot topic in the media. Many have praised LaVar for the support and love he has shown his children. However, a few others have questioned the implications of his overbearing and intense parenting.
About Tina Ball
Christina Catherine Ball (née Slatinsky) is a former college basketball player. She was a four-year varsity basketball letter winner during her school career.
In 2017 she suffered a stroke and dealt with aphasia. In the third season of “Ball in the Family”, LaVar recounts the day Tina had the stroke.
Recurring and Guest Cast Members of “Ball in the Family”
“Ball in the Family” has many recurring and guest cast members. Some of them are mentioned below:
- Denise Garcia: She is Lonzo’s on-and-off partner and mother of his daughter. She is frequently seen on the show.
- Zoey Ball: Zoey is Lonzo and Denise’s daughter. She was born in 2018 and has been part of “Ball in the Family” since.
- Alan Foster: Alan Foster is LaVar’s ex-business partner. Alan and LaVar founded the Big Brand Baller (BBB) together.
- Darren Moore: Darren Moore is Lonzo’s manager.
- Horace: Horace is a family friend of the Ball family.
- Noni Slatinsky and Robert Slatinsky: Noni and Robert are Tina’s parents and have made many appearances on “Ball in the Family.”
- Maria Ball and Anderson Ball: LaVar’s parents, Maria and Anderson are frequently seen on the reality show.
- LaValle Ball, Ren Ball, and Dre Ball: LaValle, Ren, and Dre are LaVar’s brothers.
- Jhaylen Ball and Andre Ball: Jhaylen and Andre are LaVar’s niece and nephew.
Will There Be a Season 7 of “Ball in the Family?”
Facebook Watch has not canceled “Ball in the Family,” but the show hasn’t been renewed for a new season either. Stay up to date on any new developments or release dates with BuddyTV.
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Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
