Nov 15, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard LiAngelo Ball speaks at a press conference regarding the arrest of Ball and freshman teammates Jalen Hill and Cody Riley (both not pictured) in China for shoplifting. Ball is the son of LaVar Ball and Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball (both not pictured). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

No More Ball Family at UCLA

  • The never ending saga that is the Ball family has reached a new chapter.

No, Lonzo isn’t leaving the Lakers. Instead, it’s his two younger brothers who are leaving Los Angeles, specifically UCLA.

Lavar Ball is pulling his second son, LiAngelo, from UCLA after concerns over his indefinite suspension at the school. The suspension stems from a shoplifting charge that involved him and two other players while the Bruins were in China to face Georgia Tech in their season opener.

From ESPN’s Jeff Goodman:

Lavar Ball added that there is no fall back plan.

LiAngelo leaves UCLA having never stepped on the court for the Bruins after coming in as a four-star recruit. The expectation is that he will go overseas in preparation for the NBA Draft, although many experts believe his career lies overseas. While LiAngelo said he realized what he did was stupid too late, he just wants a chance to play.

Meanwhile, Lavar Ball also pulling out his youngest son, LaMelo Ball, from his high school in Los Angeles. The youngest Ball brother is also reportedly looking at options to play overseas. This would mean the five-star, Class of 2019 point guard would go back on his commitment from UCLA and instead spend his time in an international league while getting ready for the NBA Draft.

One possible reason for pulling LaMelo Ball from school has to do with his sneaker. LaMelo has his own signature shoe with Big Baller Brand, the family’s clothing company, called Melo Ball 1. He profits from the shoe, which would generally be a violation of the NCAA’s amateurism rules.

There’s many moving parts to this story, but it appears LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball will not be following their brother Lonzo’s path to the NBA by way of UCLA.

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