When the Milwaukee Bucks fill out their Developmental League team roster here in Oshkosh this fall, one player that would be really cool to have is Wisconsin Badgers forward Nigel Hayes. I say that not just because I like Nigel–or that I think he likely wouldn’t stick with an NBA team–but it would be cool to maybe have his mother around Oshkosh too.
This week, Talaya Davis wrote a heartfelt letter to the UW Basketball program and its fans thanking them for their support of her son.
Now let’s contrast Ms Davis’s public statements about her son’s college basketball career with those of Lavar Ball–whose son, Lonzo, will be leaving UCLA after just one season for the NBA Draft. Mr Ball has never thanked anyone at the school for providing his son with an opportunity to play. He has never credited the coaching staff with teaching his son or challenging him to develop his talents. And he certainly hasn’t mentioned his son’s education. Instead, the founder of “Big Ballers” has treated his son like a meal ticket–demanding that he only play for his hometown Los Angeles Lakers–and that any shoe company wanting to offer an endorsement contract come with a minimum of ONE BILLION DOLLARS.
There would be a certain irony to the situation if say four or five years from now, it was Nigel Hayes starring in the NBA and Lonzo Ball trying to hang on playing D League ball in Oshkosh. I think we might know what caused that looking back on this year.
