As the calendar turned from 2024 to 2025 and his sons dominated the headlines—Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo for his long-awaited return, Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo for his stellar play, and musician LiAngelo for his burgeoning rap career—their father was conspicuously absent.
It turned out that LaVar Ball—the ex-Washington State forward whose larger-than-life personality made him a household name in the late 2010s—was battling a serious health scare. In February, reports emerged he'd had a foot amputated, and he detailed his harrowing ordeal in a first-person essay for Slam on Tuesday.
