Major League Baseball

Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant's Dad Has Words for LaVar Ball

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:25 a.m. ET

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Fansided, Tim Haberin/FanSided via Call to the Pen

The father of Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant has some advice for college basketball's most outspoken dad.

If you follow college basketball, you know LaVar Ball is the latest example of the obnoxious sports dad who can't help but live vicariously through his son. That son, UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball, will likely be among the top picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, but his father has managed to steal the spotlight with his provocative comments over the last several weeks. Now, the father of Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant is weighing in on the situation.

Mike Bryant appeared on ESPN Radio Chicago on Tuesday, where he provided his take on the elder Ball's behavior. Per ESPN.com:

Aside from predicting more than six championships and massive shoe deals for 19-year-old Lonzo before he's even played an NBA game, Ball hasn't limited his boasts to his sons, who also include high schoolers LiAngelo and LaMelo. In perhaps his most outrageous claim, he remarked that in his "heyday" he could "kill" Michael Jordan playing one-on-one. Ball averaged a blistering 2.2 points per game at Washington State.

Mike Bryant certainly knows what it's like to have a talented son who's making a name for himself prior to even reaching the big stage. Kris was a standout performer for the University of San Diego, earning the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy (given to the best amateur and college players in the U.S., respectively) after his junior year. He was drafted second overall by the Cubs in 2013.

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After a pair of impressive minor league seasons in which he quickly worked his way up the organizational ladder, Bryant made headlines two springs ago when the Cubs decided to have him begin the season in the minors for a week or two in order to gain an extra year of team control. Many were upset by the decision in light of Bryant's terrific spring training.

While Bryant himself was surely at least somewhat miffed about the brief detour to back Triple-A, he more or less kept his head down and waited for his opportunity. Since making his major league debut on April 17, 2015, he hasn't squandered that chance. Bryant won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in his first campaign. Last year, he followed it up with the NL MVP. Oh, and the first Cubs World Series title in 108 years wasn't too bad either.

LaVar Ball would do well to take heed of Mike Bryant's advice. His son might play a different sport, and the basketball world is a decidedly different animal than baseball, but many of the same principles still apply.

Nothing is guaranteed. No one wins a championship or makes the Hall of Fame before going out there and actually doing it. It's difficult enough to achieve lasting success in professional sports without unneeded distractions – from a family member, no less.

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