Skip to main content
Join Now

LaVar Ball reveals new details about foot amputation

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•03/18/25•

brianjones_93

LaVar Ball (1)
Jul 8, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; LaVar ball looks on prior to the game between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers at Thomas & Mack Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

LaVar Ball is sharing new details about his foot amputation, revealing he was having complications with his diabetes. The father of Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball opened up about his health with SLAM and said he started having issues in January.

“I had an infection on my foot that started spreading through my blood due to not paying attention to my diabetes,” LaVar Ball said. “I ended up having to get my leg amputated. First, they cut off a couple of toes. Then they cut off my foot. Then they said, ‘We gotta go almost knee high for another surgery.’ Three surgeries. And then there were also the blood transfusions. Not one, not two, not three, four different times.

“All those surgeries and blood transfusions, it made me question whether it was worth going through it sometimes. It made me think, ‘Man, just kill me and let me go about my business.’ It made me think that maybe it’s time for me to shut it down.”

LaVar Ball says his sons kept him going

Ball added, “But then seeing what my boys are doing out there, they’re like, ‘Dad you’re the toughest dude I know.’ That made me keep going. Even though I’m a bad man—I don’t need much—it was good to have that backing from my boys. One of the things that makes me go is when they are all together. When they are all together, I feel strong.”

LaVar Ball then had a message for everyone when it comes to their health. “From my experience the last couple months, I want to get in people’s heads the importance of taking care of your health—especially Black people, because sometimes we’re not trying to go to the hospital, we will try to sleep it off or say, ‘Yeah, we’ll get to it later,'” he said. “And sometimes it’s a little more serious than what you think.”

Ball, 57, helped all three of his sons reach the NBA. Lonzo and LaMelo are currently in the league, while LiAgelo played overseas and signed with the Charlotte Hornets in 2022. He is currently a hip-hop artist under contract with Def Jam Recordings.

LaVar Ball is the co-founder of the sports apparel company Big Baller Brand and the now-defunct Junior Basketball Association (JBA). He played college basketball at Cal State Los Angeles and was a tight end for the New York Jets.