Lavar Ball is the American Dream That You Can't Ignore
By: Damien Thaddeus Jones - @NobleNegroe + Facebook + TikTok
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” — Hebrews 11:1
Family, faith isn’t quiet. It’s loud, it’s bold, and sometimes it rattles the cages of those too comfortable with doubt. For the past ten years, LaVar Ball has been a living sermon of that truth, a man who took Hebrews 11:1 and turned it into a blueprint for his family. They called him brash, arrogant, a carnival barker with no substance. They criticized how he raised his sons, mocked his Big Baller Brand, and sneered at his unshakable confidence. But here we stand, in the spring of 2025, and every one of his boys—Lonzo, LiAngelo, LaMelo—is a millionaire, stacking wealth the legal way through talent and hustle. That’s the American Dream, painted in vivid colors. That’s a father who deserves an apology from every skeptic who doubted him. LaVar Ball isn’t just a man—he’s a legacy-builder, and we ought to celebrate him like we do LeBron James or any famous father who leads his children to greatness.
Rewind the clock a decade. LaVar was the loudmouth from Chino Hills, hollering that his sons would dominate the NBA. People laughed. “He’s too much,” they said. “He’s pushing those boys too hard.” Pundits accused him of exploiting his kids, turning family into a sideshow. But what I saw—what we should’ve all seen—was a man who believed in his seed. Proverbs 22:6 tells us, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” LaVar didn’t just train his boys; he forged them with a vision so clear it blinded the naysayers. He wasn’t raising sons to fit someone else’s mold—he was raising kings to claim their thrones. And look at the fruit: Lonzo, steady in the league; LaMelo, a superstar with flair; even LiAngelo, carving his path with music and grit. That’s a testimony worth shouting from the rooftops.
The flak LaVar caught wasn’t just about his style—it was about his audacity. A Black father in America, unapologetic, refusing to shrink under the weight of a system that often tells us to stay small, stay humble, stay in line. He built Big Baller Brand from the ground up, sidestepping corporate gatekeepers. Sure, it stumbled—businesses do—but the vision never faltered. He bet on himself and his sons when the world bet against him. Isn’t that the American Dream? The freedom to dream wild, to work hard, to rise above? We cheer bootstraps when they’re tied to tech moguls or Wall Street, but when a man like LaVar lifts his family from a Chino Hills gym to the global stage, we call it luck or lunacy. No, sir—that’s grit. That’s faith. That’s a father who saw gold in his boys when others saw clay.
Now, think about LeBron. We hail him as the ultimate father-figure—guiding Bronny to the league, building schools, crafting a legacy. He deserves it; LeBron’s a giant. But LaVar? He’s done the same, in his own lane, with three sons thriving under the lights. Where’s his parade? Where’s his spotlight? We lift one up and tear the other down, but the scoreboard doesn’t lie—all of LaVar’s boys are winning, legally, ethically, triumphantly. The critics who branded him a failure owe him an apology. The talking heads who smirked at his swagger need to eat their words. This man turned prophecy into profit, and he did it his way.
LaVar Ball is the American Dream because he embodies what this nation claims to champion: the right to dream, the courage to defy, the will to win. He’s not perfect—none of us are—but he’s proof that confidence, paired with work, can move mountains. We should celebrate him, not just for his sons’ millions, but for showing what’s possible when you refuse to let the world define your family’s future. LaVar ain’t just a father—he’s a blueprint. And if that ain’t worth a standing ovation, I don’t know what is.
Rev. Damien Thaddeus Jones is a Christian minister, distinguished conservative thought leader, and political analyst with nearly 15 years of expertise in civic and political engagement. He is the author of the best selling book Black Voters Red Wave.