LaVar Ball Reveals His Wife of 30 Years Ended Their Marriage: 'Decided to Go Her Own Way'
LaVar Ball Reveals His Wife of 30 Years Ended Their Marriage: 'Decided to Go Her Own Way'
Natasha DyeThu, June 25, 2026 at 5:29 PM UTC
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Lavar Ball and Tina Ball on Dec. 30, 2018 in Los AngelesCredit: Allen Berezovsky/Getty -
Lavar Ball revealed he and his wife Tina have separated after nearly 30 years together
Ball said Tina "decided to go her own way" and "wanted to go do something else," adding, "that's fine with me"
The former couple tied the knot in 1997 and share three kids: Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo
Lavar Ball and his wife Tina have separated after nearly 30 years, the Big Baller Brand CEO has revealed.
Ball, 57, said Tina, whose maiden name is Slatinsky, "decided to go her own way" during an appearance on content creator N3on's livestream on Wednesday, June 24. "You know, with my wife, Tina decided to go her own way. That's why you don't see her right here," Ball told the creator.
"She wanted to go do something else, that's fine with me. We had our run. We had our run," Ball continued. "So, even though she had the stroke, and getting older, she would never be like, 'Oh, man.' She was always beautiful in my eyes, until you say I want to go do something else."
Lavar and Tina Ball at their son LiAngelo's 21st birthday party on Nov. 23, 2019Credit: Cassy Athena/Getty
Ball continued, "The fact that if you decide to go this way, I'm gonna go that way. That's fine. It is what it is, man. Any time you can find somebody you can stay in love with for a really long time… if you can witness that love, that's good. I had that with her."
Ball added that he's now dating someone new. "And I found somebody else, but it is what it is."
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When N3on asked about the new person in his life, Ball stayed mum and said the content creator "didn't need to worry about it."
Ball and Slatinsky tied the knot in 1997. They share three sons: Lonzo, 28, LiAngelo, 27, and LaMelo, 24. Lonzo is currently unsigned, but last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, while LaMelo was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier Thursday. LiAngelo, meanwhile, is a recording artist.
In 2017, Slatinsky suffered a major stroke that left her with aphasia, which affects verbal communication. During her recovery, the couple let the Washington Post into their home for a profile. The father of three told the outlet, "As long as she can smile, give a kiss and a hug, I'm good" and joking, "That's probably why she had the stroke, so she can be quiet for a minute."
In March 2025, Ball underwent several surgeries, including an amputation on his right leg, due to diabetes. "I had an infection on my foot that started spreading through my blood due to not paying attention to my diabetes," Ball told Slam magazine at the time. "I ended up having to get my leg amputated. First, they cut off a couple of toes. Then they cut off my foot. Then they said, We gotta go almost knee high for another surgery.' "
"If I don't go at the end of last year during Christmas to get that infection looked at, [an infection] that's been around for maybe a month or two on the bottom of my foot, this would be a different type of story," he told Slam.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
