LaVar Ball's Wife: Tina Ball Has Always Been 'The One' for Her Famous Husband

LaVar Ball is a former professional footballer-turned-businessman. The NFL legend is a proud dad to three sons who inherited his incredible talent. LaVar Ball's wife of over two decades is Tina Ball.

LaVar and Tina Ball have shared a love that has stood the test of time. The retired sportsman played with well-known teams such as the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. LaVar was born on October 23, 1967, and started playing sports early, from college basketball to becoming a professional NFL player.

However, the talented star's career ended abruptly after suffering a knee injury leading to complications. Since retiring, LaVar has become a successful businessman. In 2016, he co-founded Big Baller Brand, a sports apparel company. His net worth is estimated at $4 million.

LaVar Ball has also been enjoying his life with his wife, Tina Ball, and their three talented children. The Ball family is quite famous, and there's much interest in their personal lives.

Who Is Tina Ball?

Tina Ball has links to the sports world like the rest of her family. The 54-year-old from Miami, Florida, is a former basketball player. She worked at Vernon Middle School in California as the athletic director and also as a physical education teacher at the school before leaving after 24 years.

When they met, Tina and LaVar were both basketball players; Tina played for the Cal State Los Angeles women's team, and her husband was on the men's team for Golden Eagles.

Tina's dad Bob Slatinsky was protective of his daughter. However, that didn't put LaVar off as he spent time with Tina, making her laugh and expressing his devotion to his family. Also, when Tina had surgery on her appendix, her dad said LaVar was the one who brought her schoolwork to the hospital.

LaVar once shared that he was attracted to Tina's height, as he said she was tall enough to give him tall kids. He also said he could tell she was tough from how she walked in heels and liked that she wore heels despite being tall.

The former footballer used the pickup line he often used on other girls when he talked to Tina. He said they would do something together; she just didn't know. LaVar explained the pickup line by saying the girl may not know him or think he's arrogant, but she will be thinking about him.

LaVar and Tina Ball married in 1997 and had three children. LaVar Ball's wife has been very supportive of her sons' careers. Tina went to all their games and every practice and was dependable at home by helping prepare meals.

The mom of three played basketball with her sons until one of them started beating her. Her boys have expressed their gratitude for having a mother like her. She is said to be a lot like her husband and described as "energetic."

One of Tina's sons, Lonzo, once shared during an interview how much his mom meant to him after she suffered a stroke. He said to ESPN in September 2019 that his mother was "kind of the person who held everything together."

What Happened to Tina Ball?

Sadly, Tina suffered a stroke in February 2017 and spent two and a half months in the hospital. It greatly affected her family, and it wasn't easy for them to see her go through what she did.

Her husband and children often visited her every night after training, and LaVar revealed at the time that Tina couldn't talk but was smiling "all the time."

When LaVar Ball's wife fell sick, he wanted to protect their sons and prevent them from worrying too much. LaVar told his sons to focus on basketball and that he would take care of their mother.

Despite his wish to keep the news of his wife's health quiet, it spread through the basketball community. Lonzo was even asked about his mom's condition during a tournament game but said it was a "family business" like his father told him to.

Some of LaVar's relatives criticized the former NBA star for promoting his sons while Tina was hospitalized. He said everybody was asking what he was doing, but they shouldn't worry because he could take care of his family, and his wife was sacred to him. He further said about his wife:

"She's the one. Just so smooth. She's not like other girls. She's tough, smart, pretty. I told my wife, 'I been with you so long, you can have one eye drooped and your mouth over here like this, and you're still beautiful to me. I look at you the same way.' That ain't gonna never change (sic)."

Following Tina's stroke, her family was told she might die, end up in a vegetable state, or never walk again. However, none of these things happened, as she woke up, walked again, and survived.

At the start of Tina's recovery, feeling in her right hand slowly returned; however, she now has expressive aphasia, which affects her verbal communication. After losing her ability to speak, she started communicating through writing.

The family shared more about Tina's recovery on their Facebook Watch show "Ball In The Family." LaVar expressed in the video that they were advised to send Tina for speech therapy; however, he felt that he and Tina's parents had everything covered. The clip also showed LaVar teaching his wife how to talk again.

What Do We Know about Tina and Lavar's Sons?

LaVar and Tina Ball were blessed to have children with a passion and talent for sports like them. All three of their sons are well-known professional basketball players. Their eldest, Lonzo, has played at UCLA and for top teams like the Lakers, Los Angeles, and the Pelicans.

Their second son, LaMelo, started playing basketball in high school. He went on to play in Lithuania before ending up in teams such as the Los Angeles Ballers and Illawarra Hawks. The youngest, LiAngelo, was at UCLA before joining Prienai and the Oklahoma City Blue.

LaVar shared in late 2020 how proud he was of his sons and knew they would get to the league as that's where "they're supposed to be." He also said he was "the luckiest man in the world." He knew he would have "three mon-stars."