The situation for the UCLA players currently facing legal troubles in China seems to have cooled a bit since rumors had LiAngelo Ball and other players facing 10 years in prison for shoplifting. Since then, the punishment has been worked down to a possible 20 days under house arrest at their hotel in Shanghai. The saga has garnered a lot of headlines and responses around the NBA, but the best might be this nearly 7-minute thrashing of LaVar Ball and his take on his son’s situation from Inside The NBA.
While Ernie Johnson does his best to power through the highlights and remain the professional of the crew, Kenny Smith, Shaq, and Sir Charles are not having it. Starting with the recap of the Wizards/Lakers showdown from Thursday, the trio can’t help dropping comments about going to Sunglasses Hut, repeating LaVar Ball’s comments that the situation “ain’t a big deal,” and what 20 days of house arrest in a hotel could mean.
Hearing Barkley run down what parts of the hotel would be off limits is gold, especially when he questions if LiAngelo and the other players can go to the pool or out on their balcony, but it’s also pretty good when the team just hits the simple moments. The best might come early on with the Sunglasses Hut comment, but we’ll always accept a Corey Hart reference.
It’s the latest in a war of words against the Ball family, with both Barkley and Shaq lashing out at the outspoken father and even actively rooting against Lonzo Ball at one point. He also had made fun of the rookie ball on Inside The NBA, but the sunglasses jokes show that nothing is off limits when it comes to this rivalry.
Either way, “Sunglasses At Night” is a good song. And it’s also something that will likely be played to troll the Balls for the rest of the season.
