LaVar Ball reportedly removes son LiAngelo from UCLA saying he will focus him on NBA draft
UCLA teammates Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were benched and subsequently suspended indefinitely following an alleged shoplifting incident in China
It appears LiAngelo Ball will not return to the UCLA men’s basketball team. LaVar Ball, LiAngelo’s father, has pulled his son out of the school.
In November, UCLA teammates Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were benched and subsequently suspended indefinitely after being released on bail following an alleged shoplifting incident in China. The charges were eventually dropped, but not before the international incident made headlines when president Donald Trump tweeted that he helped free the players, which the elder Ball disputed.
According to TMZ Sports, someone familiar with Ball’s thinking on the matter offered this assessment, “There’s no need to break down a kid’s spirit for making a mistake.”
“We are exploring other options with [LiAngelo],” LaVar Ball said. “He’s out of there.”
It appears the main one of those options is to prepare the player for June’s NBA draft. While at least one mid-major college basketball programme had invited LiAngelo to transfer to it, Ball said that they were not interested in such a move.
“I’m going to make him way better for the draft that UCLA ever could have,” Ball said.
“We learned today of LiAngelo Ball’s intention to withdraw from UCLA,” UCLA coach Steve Alford said. “We respect the decision he and his family have made, and we wish him all the best in the future.”
In addition, UCLA officials may be concerned about LaMelo’s eligibility to eventually play there, as he could be receiving what the NCAA deems to be impermissible benefits while getting home-schooled as a member of the Big Baller Brand clan. “One official at UCLA said this likely means the end of what was supposed to be a long, fruitful run with the Ball brothers,” Markazi reported.
While Ball’s oldest son, Lonzo, is a prized rookie with the Lakers who was selected number two overall in June’s NBA draft, the outspoken patriarch is fine with the possibility of his two younger sons playing in lesser leagues overseas, at least until they develop NBA-calibre skills. That way, Markazi reported, they would be “growing the [family’s] brand in other parts of the world instead of playing in college.”
If the NBA draft is the family’s focus, LiAngelo Ball might have an uphill battle. The Washington Post’s Tim Bontemps reported last month that, unlike Lonzo, LiAngelo isn’t viewed by scouts as a legitimate NBA prospect.
