Oh, you thought LaVar Ball had taken a backseat to son Lonzo as Lakers preseason approaches?
Starting Thursday, he’s returning louder and larger than ever, giving the world an all-access pass to his family in a reality show airing on Facebook.
Based on the preview video released Tuesday, “Ball in the Family” will offer a 10-episode peek into wife Tina’s recovery from a debilitating stroke, No. 2 draft pick Lonzo’s dating life and, of course, plenty of boasts from LaVar about his three basketball-playing sons.
“We wanted to give our fans an unfiltered look into our lives and show them a side of us that isn’t typically seen,” LaVar Ball said in a statement to Variety. “We have a big community of fans on Facebook, so we’re excited our series is going to be on Watch. And who better to help us tell our story than Bunim-Murray Productions.”
The Balls are following in the footsteps of reality-show Goliath, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” which is produced by the same company.
The show appears to focus heavily on one of the only parts of LaVar’s life he has kept private. His wife Tina suffered a stroke in February, which hospitalized her for two-and-a-half months and limited her ability to speak, and LaVar has approached the topic with uncharacteristic discretion.
More than a month after Tina appeared in public for the first time since the incident, the Balls open up about the effect her health scare had on the family and the show includes scenes of her in-home therapy.
“I told my boys, she’s gonna be fine. That’s your mom, but that’s my girl. I got her,” LaVar says in the preview over footage of him taking Tina through exercises in their family pool.
An elderly couple that appears to be Tina’s parents reveal they “didn’t know if she was gonna live or die” after the stroke, but the two-and-a-half minute clip leaves you with the impression the Ball boys’ mother is on the mend.
With a healthy Tina back by his side, LaVar can resume his life goal of churning out three NBA stars.
Says youngest brother LaMelo: “My dad’s master plan is to get all three of us on the Lakers.”
One down, two to go, and 200 minutes of Ball-mania in the meantime.