He is the controversial patriarch of the Ball family.
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Eldest son Lonzo is a bona fide NBA basketball star who was an LA Laker before he was traded recently to the New Orleans Pelicans.
His youngest son LaMelo has just joined the Illawarra Hawks as their star signing under the National Basketball League's Next Stars program.
He is the head and chief spruiker of the family's own clothing apparel line, Big Baller Brand.
He has even had a public spat with Donald Trump, the President of the United States no less, over middle son LiAngelo getting arrested with team-mates in China for alleged shoplifting.
Recently American TV network ESPN announced it would stop featuring him on their shows, supposedly over a suggestive comment he made to a female host during an interview.
Wollongong, meet LaVar Ball. The man and the myth.
LaVar Ball has earned a reputation as one of the most colourful and at times controversial characters in world sport and, for the next six months at least, he'll be making Wollongong his semi-regular home.
In the first of a two-part series, LaVar Ball sits down with Illawarra Mercury editor Julian O'Brien to discuss his famous sons, life, basketball and meat raffles.
All while being filmed for the family's popular reality television show.
BALL IN THE FAMILY
The clock has just clicked past midday and the winter sun is beaming onto the balcony of the Novotel. Sitting at a table, overlooking the breakers rolling into North Beach, is LaVar Ball decked head to toe in his Big Baller Brand sporting apparel.
Around him buzzes the production crew of Ball in the Family, the reality TV program which follows the Ball family's every move. Think Keeping up with the Kardashians with a basketball flavour.
The show is produced and screened purely on Facebook and each episode attracts more than a million viewers.
A crew of almost 20 people from the production company are here filming LaVar and LaMelo.
The show is now in its fifth season and has aired over 100 episodes.
It will take another four months for the episodes being filmed in and around Wollongong at the moment to be screened.
Read more: LaMelo ready to do his talking on the court
Over the course of the next hour LaVar proves himself to be an affable and likable subject, part proud father, part salesman and every part the entertainer. In response to a "hello and thanks for your time", he extends a hand of greeting.
"You are more than welcome," he says politely. Just before the interview gets underway he is immediately distracted skyward.
"It looked like somebody fell ...... oh my god," he exclaims.
That was LaVar's first experience with the skydivers who plummet, safely, almost continuously into Wollongong's Stuart Park on a daily basis.
He best get used to them as he will be a regular visitor to our shores while watching youngest son LaMelo play with the Hawks - all with camera crew in tow.
In fact, the whole Ball posse - aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents - will most likely be here for LaMelo's debut with the Hawks against Brisbane at the WIN Entertainment Centre on October 6. So what does Lavar want to do while he's in Wollongong?
"I don't wanna go skydiving," he said quickly. "I'm a people person. I want to kick back, relax and meet new people. That's all I want to do."
The way you guys are treating him, putting him up in a nice apartment, the weather.
A teetotaller who loves "milk and steak", LaVar was greeted by a crowd when visiting Wollongong's outlet of the Australian-themed American chain Outback Steakhouse.
"That was the greatest," he said with enthusiasm. "I told them 'I'm so cool, I went all the way to where it started - the Outback'."
He's already had another quintessential Wollongong experience - the local club meat raffle, scooping the pool at The Builder's Club.
"I tell you what I did do the other day, I went to a raffle and they were raffling meat," he said, his eyes lighting up and voice raising with enthusiasm.
"Oh man, I had a good time. I bought myself some tickets and I was winning every time. I won like 10 bags. I was loaded. I wanted to have me a barbecue."
WHY THE GONG?
Much has been made of LaMelo's decision to bypass the prestigious US College system and turn professional with the Hawks. LaVar maintains it was the best decision for his son who is working towards next year's NBA draft.
"We made this decision together man on the fact that I want to do the best by my son," LaVar said.
"Melo's been around the world already. Melo knows what he wants now. We've been to Lithuania where the guys don't even speak English. It's one of the steps he had to go through to realise this right here.
"The way you guys are treating him, putting him up in a nice apartment, the weather.
"You've got to go to Lithuania - where sights are not as good, it's cold, guys are talking bad about you, you don't understand the language - to enjoy all this.
"You can see the happiness on my son's face right now and it's beautiful. Melo just wants to play basketball. He'd play basketball on the moon."
LaVar, who met with the Illawarra Hawks for the first time on Friday, believes this will prime his son for the NBA.
"It's all in the coaching," LaVar said referring to new Hawks coach Matt Flinn.
"You have a coach in Lithuania and 'I give you my son'. But now I give this coach my son and he's gonna be the number one pick (in the NBA draft) .... all on the changing of the coach."
And don't dare to generalise when you refer to LaMelo as going in the first "round" of the NBA draft as opposed to the first "pick".
"First round?" he exclaims. "He's the first pick. I'd love to see a team say I don't want to see a 6 foot 8 (inch) point guard who can put people in the seats and who is young.
"I can't wait to see a team say 'I don't want him'. I know by the time this season is over he will be the number one pick. He's very special."
In Australian culture that may be seen as being cocky, but while his son is reserved, well-spoken and considered, LaVar is outspoken. It's the man, but it's also part of the show.
"It's my style, the way I've been groomed. I'm from South Central (Los Angeles), I'm loud, I'm the best, I'm gonna let you know," he proclaims.
"People are very genuine here and it is about how you carry yourself. People say Melo is maturing, but he's growing. What do you expect?
"You're not getting a 16-year-old, you're getting a guy who's been through some things at 16, 17 and is now turning 18 (he turned 18 on Thursday). If you are polite and genuine, I don't care where you go, you're fine."
PART TWO, MONDAY: LaVar on the brothers making NBA history and being "better than Jordan".