LaVar Ball‘s dream to get all three of his sons on the Los Angeles Lakers doesn’t appear to be translating into reality. The middle Ball child, LiAngelo, went undrafted on Thursday night in Brooklyn despite some pre-draft workouts from some NBA teams and plenty of talking from his father.
After the draft, LaVar Ball said the next step for LiAngelo is a trip to the NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas, preferably on a Lakers team that may include his older brother and Lakers draft pick last year, Lonzo.
But according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, that won’t be happening. Shelburne reported on Friday that LiAngelo won’t get an invite to the Lakers’ summer league squad, and he was told shortly after the draft that he’ll have to seek other options.
Lakers officially informed LiAngelo Ball he will not be on their Summer League team last night. They were determined to make this a basketball decision but as one source put it, “obviously there’s more to it than basketball.” In other words— the LaVar effect was real.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 22, 2018
What happens next for Ball is unclear, though I’m sure it will make their Facebook television show in great detail. Ball can try to land with another team for a summer run, but the jury seems to have reached a verdict on him right now: He’s not ready for the NBA. That doesn’t mean Ball won’t land on a G League team or could grow into someone worthy of a roster spot somewhere, but after high school and a few months of ball in Lithuania, he’s not there yet.
It’s a dream deferred for sure, but not an altogether unexpected one. Reports out of his workout with the Lakers were not that encouraging, and despite the Lakers’ desire to keep the Ball family happy, they can’t just give roster spots to every player’s less impressive son just because their father has significant media attention. The rebuilding plan in Los Angeles clearly includes Lonzo Ball on the court, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the Ball family has to be included as well.
