LaVar Ball thought of ending it all after multiple surgeries and blood transfusions

LaVar Ball recently had surgery to amputate his right foot after struggling with an infection arising from his diabetes.

LaVar Ball thought of ending it all after multiple surgeries and blood transfusions

LaVar Ball's three hooper sons helped him fight through surgeries

LaVar Ball did his part in bringing up three sons who would go on to make a name for themselves. But the man himself has endured a lot of hate when he did his part to hype his sons. He continued to fight against media and fans for more than half a decade.

Lonzo Ball and LaMelo Ball eventually became stars in the NBA and ended up signing multi-million dollar deals. Even if they have not been part of championship winning teams, they are one of the better players available whenever healthy.

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His third son LiAngelo Ball could not make a name for himself on the basketball court. But he found his calling in the rap industry and his debut single, Tweaker, stormed the charts. At around the same time, father Ball was struggling with his own body.

Recently photographs surfaced of him coming out of a hospital. Those photos clearly revealed that doctors amputated his right leg. Now a while after recovering, SLAM interviewed the former dual-sport star and specifically asked him about the surgery.

I had an infection on my foot that started spreading through my blood due to not paying attention to my diabetes. Three surgeries. And then there were also the blood transfusions. 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 said

The constant blood transfusions and surgeries led the 57-year-old to think of ending it all. That thought is nothing one expects from a man who has fought the world for his sons. It goes to show how much he was struggling with those problems.

Ball brothers helped their father push through

When anyone reaches the point where they want to end themselves, it is usually not a great time for them. At this point, it was the turn of the three sons to be there for their father. LaVar Ball revealed what helped him through that tough period.

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’s good to have that backing from my boys. I’m the Big Baller. I’m hard to kill. But I must admit that my boys kept me rolling.

LaVar Ball said

Senior Ball was in the hospital when Tweaker was bursting through the music scene. Instead of being beside his middle son and being the father figure that he has always been, LaVar Ball could only talk to his son through FaceTime.

In those conversations, he was slurring due to the effects of the drugs in his system. He could not fully understand what was going on. But he is happy now that his three sons helped him fight through the pain and the procedures.

LaVar Ball will advocate for health awareness in Black males

The leg amputation came about after an infection started spreading from his toes. LaVar Ball understands it came to this after he neglected earlier concerns. Had he taken precaution, he might have been able to avoid losing a foot.

Now, the owner of Big Baller Brand wants to spread awareness. He believes Black American men usually try to throw health scares under the rug. Or they postpone the need to get checked up. Through his experience, Ball will try to help the community understand what they could lose.

It will be a novel approach, considering diabetes is a raging problem in the United States. The problem is more prominent among Black men as they tend to think their physical attributes can handle anything. But Ball losing his foot proves it is not that simple.