By: Jeff Eisenband -
3/7/2017

Tuesday was supposed to be a calm day for basketball. There are only three NBA games and the NCAA power conference tournaments start Wednesday. But thanks to Charles Barkley and LaVar Ball, a story has blown up.

Ball, the flamboyant father of UCLA star freshman Lonzo and high school recruits LiAngelo and LaMelo, has been persistent in publicly praising his children's basketball prowess. Specifically, he has said that Lonzo will be better than Stephen Curry, advising teams to select Lonzo over likely No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz.

In an article published Tuesday morning by Sean Deveney of Sporting News, Barkley was quoted as saying, "You can't say a guy is going to be better than Steph Curry, a guy who has played 30 college games. I know you can be proud of your son, but at some point, it becomes stupidity."

LaVar, who was on Fox Sports 1's Undisputed and The Herd later in the day, responded by stating, "If Charles thought like me, maybe he'd win a championship."


Meanwhile, Sir Charles was in New York City for CBS Sports and Turner Sports' NCAA Tournament Media Day later in the afternoon. Barkley, who says, "I never respond to other people," gave an endorsement of Lonzo while addressing LaVar's tendencies.

"Your son's life is his life," Barkley says. "It's not yours. No matter what his son accomplishes, it's not his. So I wish his son nothing but the best. The kid's a hell of a player. But I don't like when parents interject. It's not your life. It's their life. My daughter's a great person. She goes to Columbia Grad School right now. That's her accomplishment. I prepared her for the world. Now she's on her own.

"I don't even think we should be interviewing people's parents. I have very strict rules in my family. Shut the f*** up. I'm the one who's doing this. He can be proud of his kid, but I didn't win a championship. I'm all right. I will compare my exploits to Mr. Ball's any time."

UCLA is currently No. 3 in the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls. Joe Lunardi projects the Bruins as a No. 3 seed in his latest Bracketology. UCLA could potentially reach the Final Four, where Barkley will be on the ground as a broadcaster.

LaVar could make an appearance on CBS. Of course, if Barkley is willing to interview a parent.

Here's the NSFW version of the Barkley clip:

Basketball, CBS, Charles Barkley, College Basketball, columbia, father, father son, LaMelo Ball, lavar ball, liangelo ball, lonzo ball, March Madness, NBA, NCAA Tournament, NCAAB, Parenting, TNT, UCLA Bruins