Itโs going to be at least three or four years before the 76ers and Lakers are both good enough to make it all the way to the NBA Finalsโand thatโs probably being generousโbut if and when they do ever make it that far, the two teams are going to have one hell of a series.
A beef seems to be brewing between the two sides, and itโs all because ofโwho else?โLaVar Ball. During the NBA Draft in June, LaVar went on ESPN and said that he thinks the Lakers are going to be a playoff team now that they have added his son Lonzo to their roster. Lakers head coach Luke Walton immediately downplayed LaVarโs comments, but LaVar is, as usual, not backing down from what he said and once again trying to will his words into existence.
Itโs nothing new for him, but LaVarโs playoff remarks led to this response from Sixers rookie Ben Simmons, who called LaVarย "crazy" for his postseason prediction:
It also led to Simmonsโ outspoken teammate Joel Embiid sending out this not-so-cryptic tweet about LaVar and Lonzoย a short time later:
And LaVar responded to Embiid and Simmons during a radio interview on 97.5 The Fanatic. He didnโt hold back as he ripped the Sixers players for talking too much on social media.
"When you donโt win and donโt even make the playoffs and donโt even stay on the court long enough, thatโs the best thing you can do is tweet,"ย LaVar said. "These guys ainโt played a game, always hurt, and at the bottom of the totem pole. So guess what? Get your asses off the goddamn Twitter, and get in the gym."
Embiid and Simmons didnโt respond to LaVarโs interview right away, but on Sunday night as Embiid was hosting an Instagram Live session, someone asked him a question about LaVar. And while he didnโt provide a lengthy response to the question, he did share three words that seem to sum up exactly how he feels about LaVar at the moment.
"Fuck LaVar Ball,"ย Embiid said.
NBA fans predictably went wild over the comment:
At some point, all of this will be settled on the court. But as of right now, itโs clear thereโs no love lost between certain members of the 76ers and Lakers. And if the two teams ever do get good enough to make consistent Finals runs, this could be a fun rivalry for years to come.