Following his appearance on ESPN’s “First Take,” LaVar Ball is receiving backlash from the network for an “inappropriate” comment he made to a female host on Monday.
Ball was on the show to discuss the news that his son, Lonzo Ball, had been traded from the Lakers. But, sometime during the segment, he seemed to veer off topic.
In an attempt to redirect the interview, host Molly Qerim Rose asked Ball if she could “switch gears” and he responded, “You can switch gears with me anytime.”
Qerim Rose told Ball to “stay focused” and referred to the exchange at the end of the show.
“If anyone’s calling HR today it’s me,” she said.
Although Ball denies that his comments were sexually charged, ESPN issued a statement condemning Ball’s behavior, USA Today reports.
“LaVar Ball’s comment to Molly Qerim Rose was completely inappropriate, and we made him aware of that,” the network said.
Former ESPN host Jemele Hill took to Twitter to praise Molly Qerim Rose for her professionalism during the interview.
“Kudos to Molly Qerim for the professional way she handled LaVar Ball after his inappropriate comment,” Hill tweeted. “Maybe ESPN will have finally learned its lesson about putting him on TV.”
Denise White, a representative of the Big Baller Brand, issued a statement to TMZ in Ball’s defense.
“[LaVar] was asked if he wanted to switch gears, in his mind switching gears was ‘changing the subject anytime’ and he said, ‘yes, you can switch gears with me anytime.’ At NO time was that intended or meant to be sexual in nature.”
Ball has made a reputation of being outspoken on live television, but this isn’t the first time he’s received backlash for comments made toward a female reporter. In 2017, Ball told FS1’s Kristine Leahy to “stay in her lane,” when she questioned how many shoes the Big Baller Brand had sold.
Naw Jalen Rose gotta slap the mustache clean off LaVar Ball for this one ??? pic.twitter.com/jOGVSlfmUR
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilbertAgent0) June 17, 2019
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