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Barkley blames 'big-mouth jackass' LaVar for messy BBB situation

Kevin Mazur / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty

As Lonzo Ball begins to turn the page on Big Baller Brand, Charles Barkley stepped up for the Los Angeles Lakers guard and blamed his father, LaVar Ball, for the fallout.

"This thing has been a disaster since Day 1," Barkley told Jalen Rose on ESPN's "Get Up" on Wednesday. "It was never going to work and I feel bad cause this ol' big-mouth jackass dad has put his kids in an awkward situation all year. I don't want to see anything bad happen to the kid, but I don't like his dad at all and this thing has been a joke from the beginning."

While Barkley supports Lonzo's decision to step away from the family company, he believes it was long overdue and said the situation could've been avoided if the 21-year-old didn't allow LaVar to have so much control over his business endeavors.

"He should've been his own man from the beginning," Barkley said. "You can't let your family members try to piggyback on your success. This is his time."

Lonzo owns 51 percent of Big Baller Brand. He recently cut ties with company co-founder Alan Foster after determining $1.5 million was missing from his business and personal accounts and learning about Foster's previous convictions for mail fraud and money laundering.

The second-year guard was recently shut down for the season with an ankle injury that's kept him out of action since Jan. 19. Most of his per-game averages dropped this season, including points, rebounds, and assists.

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