- LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball, the sons of LaVar Ball, are reportedly signing one-year contracts with Lithuanian basketball club Prienu Vytautas.
- LiAngelo and LaMelo were supposed to be play for UCLA, but the plan fell apart when LaVar Ball pulled LiAngelo from UCLA over his indefinite suspension for shoplifting in China.
- The Lithuanian club reportedly hopes the Balls will bring a marketing boon to the club, but neither player is expected to have a big role on the team.
- A report indicated that players make $ 500 per month at best, and the Balls may earn significantly less.
LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball, the two youngest sons of LaVar Ball and youngest brother of the Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, have signed one-year contracts with Lithuanian basketball team Prienu Vytautas, according to Yahoo’s Shams Charania.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony first reported that the LiAngelo and LaMelo were in talks with the team.
LiAngelo Ball, 19, was recently pulled out of UCLA by his father after being indefinitely suspended following his arrest on a charge of shoplifting in China. LaMelo Ball, 16, had a scholarship offer from UCLA, but had major eligibility questions because of his shoe line with his family’s Big Baller Brand clothing company.
According to ESPN, the club hopes the Ball brothers and LaVar could provide a marketing boon for the team.
Givony reported that the salaries and roles of the Ball brothers may not be significant.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/940326597315452928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The Ball brothers are not expected to see major playing time for Prienu Vytautas in the Lithuanian (LKL) league, but could be afforded an opportunity to develop in the Baltic (BBL) League, where the stakes are much lower. The club must decide whether to pull the trigger first. https://t.co/XIihTVnZMD
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/940328586267058178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
From what I’m told, salaries for players at this level of competition usually don’t exceed $ 500 per month in the absolute best case. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Ball brothers ended up playing for free. Certainly not the most glamorous league or part of the world to live in.
According to ESPN’s report, Prienu Vytautuas is in a small village in southern Lithuania with a population of about 10,000 people and few English speakers.
Charania reported that Harrison Gaines, the representative for LiAngelo and LaMelo, fielded several offers from international teams and that the Balls and Gaines worked hard to find a team that met their specific needs. Charania noted that the LKL boasts competitive teams that have had NBA players and prospects in the past.
When LaVar announced he was pulling LiAngelo from UCLA, he said it would be to prepare him for the NBA Draft. However, several reports said NBA teams didn’t even consider LiAngelo a prospect.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reported earlier in December that LiAngelo’s arrest in China and LaMelo’s eligibility questions began fracture the standing relationship between the Balls and UCLA. While LaMelo is regarded as a better prospect than LiAngelo, without playing in college, he would have to wait a year to enter the NBA Draft or play overseas.
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