“I don’t think he could beat me even if I was one-legged” – MJ’s brutal reply to LaVar Ball saying he would ‘kill’ him one-on-one originally appeared on Basketball Network.
In 2017, Lonzo Ball’s father, LaVar, made a bold, if not crazy, claim that he would have beaten Michael Jordan in a one-on-one game during his heyday. The Big Baller Brand founder even detailed how he would defeat the greatest basketball player of all time if they played one-on-one during their primes.
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“I would just back Jordan in and lift him off the ground and call a foul every time he fouls me when I do a jump hook to the right or the left,” Ball explained. “He cannot stop me one-on-one. He better make every shot ’cause he can’t go around me. He’s not fast enough. And he can only make so many shots outside before I make every bucket under the rim.”
Initially, Michael did not pay attention to LaVar’s madness. However, months later, Jordan was asked what the Ball patriarch said about him and gave a short but savage reply.
“You got to understand the source. I think he played college, maybe?” Jordan said during his Flight School basketball camp. “He averaged 2.2 points a game. Really? It doesn’t deserve a response, but I’m going to give it to you because you asked the question. I don’t think he could beat me if I was one-legged.”
LaVar played only 26 games of Division I basketball
To his credit, LaVar’s proposed strategy against Michael made sense. At 6’6″ tall, he is the same height as MJ. Jordan, when he started bulking up to match the physicality of the Detroit Pistons, peaked at 215 pounds, according to trainer Tim Grover. On the other hand, it’s unclear how much Ball weighed during his prime, but in 2017, he claimed to be 270 lbs.
Given his size, Ball said he would use his size and strength to bully Jordan down low. However, even then, one must be a very good basketball player to implement that game plan against someone like Jordan.
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Looking back, however, LaVar was far from a good basketball player. He played only 26 games of Division I NCAA basketball for Washington State, averaging 2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 11.9 minutes of playing time per game.
LaVar still believes he would’ve beaten Mike one-on-one
Fast-forward to 2023. With his sons Lonzo and LaMelo already in the NBA, the Big Baller talks about MJ again. Well, to his credit, DJ Vlad asked him about his 2017 claim, and LaVar just answered the question. But still, he reiterates that Mike would be lunch meat for him.
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“Easy….too fast, too strong, there’s nothing he could do. He’s weighing 210 pounds, I weighing 270, and can jump, fast. I’m just going to bag him in, push him off his feet. He’s a little baby to me. And give him a jump hook because I was skilled with either hand to do a jump hook, that’s all. You can’t block jump hooks,” he declared.
LaVar recently underwent emergency surgery to amputate his right leg due to a medical issue, but if you think having one leg left has mellowed him, it has not. In fact, Ball still says he can drop 70 on MJ with one leg.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
