Source: Josh Lefkowitz / Getty
LaVar Ball has remained quiet lately as he’s been plotting against the NCAA with his rival JBA basketball league.
But after weeks of being out of the news cycle, the middle Ball brother, LiAngelo has opened about where he hopes to see his career go. During an interview with ESPN L.A. 710 on Sunday, he revealed that he wants to play alongside his older brother Lonzo with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Lakers is my priority, for sure,” LiAngelo told ESPN L.A. “I want to play with my brother. Ever since I played with Zo, we went undefeated. Same thing will happen when we get older. We’re just going to get stronger and faster and have a better feel for the game. It will be a good outcome.”
LiAngelo did make it clear that while L.A. is his first choice, he’s ready to suit up for any of the other basketball clubs in the States.
“… I’m willing to play for other teams. That’s fine if they pick me. My priority is the Lakers. I just want to play with my brother.”
The 19-year-old baller makes these comments ahead of the 2018 NBA Draft that’s set to be held June 21. And while he’s declared for the draft, his hopes of getting picked up are slim. At Chino Hills high school he wasn’t heavily scouted, and despite committing to UCLA, he never played a game there after getting into legal trouble when the team was in China. Since then he’s been trying to make a name for himself in Lithuania’s basketball league. In the 14 games he’s played for BC Prienai he’s averaged 12.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.
Despite these overseas stats, Ball isn’t included in ESPN’s list of top 100 draft-eligible prospects. While the Lakers do hold the 25th and 47th picks in the upcoming draft thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets, the likelihood of them being used on him is low.
That is unless he stuns some teams in workouts.
