UCLA guard Lonzo Ball has electrified college basketball fans nationwide during his freshman season, leading most draft experts to slot him high in projections for the 2017 NBA Draft. He's nearly a consensus top-five pick, which is quite an achievement in what appears to be a loaded class.

One of the only red flags popping up for Ball concerns the behavior of his dad. Ball's father, LaVar Ball, is beginning to cross the line separating proud dads from helicopter parents. On Saturday afternoon he told the Kevin and Mike Show on SportsRadio1290 in Arizona that his son would only play for one NBA team: the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lavar Ball: "My son will only play for the Lakers." — Michael Luke ( @ironmikeluke ) February 25, 2017

This is a rather strange thing for a family member of a top prospect to say in advance of the draft. The NBA's lottery order is far from set with about 25 games left this season, and the Lakers will only keep their first-round pick if they end up in the top three; they owe their first to the Philadelphia 76ers if it lands anywhere else.

While GMs won't admit how large an impact this will have on their big boards, Twitter certainly doesn't seem to be a fan of the strategy:

I hate this whole family https://t.co/S3KHnw20DT — Eric Lilly ( @EricLilly7 ) February 26, 2017

When the Lakers get the first overall pick and take Fultz instead, this dude's meltdown afterward will be hilarious. https://t.co/t4mwVgH5or — Ben Rosales ( @brosales12 ) February 26, 2017

Yeah this dude is becoming unbearable. I feel bad for Lonzo. https://t.co/a8VFJMYd8s — Tom Aresco ( @TomAresco ) February 26, 2017

All three Ball brothers are off my big board if I'm a GM. Because of the distraction of this guy. https://t.co/wrqZjjATTS — Joseph Merkel (@Joseph_Merkel) February 26, 2017

This guy has fallen to number 2 in my personal Levar/Lavar power rankings behind Levar Burton https://t.co/0vpCeAV1xw — Kirk ( @KirkSeriousFace ) February 26, 2017

Ball's dad is no stranger to controversy. He made waves when he claimed his son was better than Steph Curry, and during a sideline interview with a reporter in mid-February, the elder Ball doubled down on that stance:

Lonzo Ball's dad repeats his idea that his son is better than Steph Curry. A post shared by espn (@espn) on Feb 18, 2017 at 9:36pm PST

You can't pick your family, and by all accounts Lonzo Ball appears to be a decent kid with a good head on his shoulders. He'll be the one who has to distance himself from the statement, and it might be best to begin to do it now so he doesn't negatively impact how NBA teams view him.