Source: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty
LaVar Ball’s plan to get all three of his sons on the Lakers has hit a snag.
The Lakers kicked things off by selecting Lonzo with the second pick in the 2017 draft, but the road has proved to be tougher for middle brother LiAngelo. This season he played overseas for BC Prienai as he prepped for the NBA, but it turns out he’ll be taking his talents to LaVar’s Junior Basketball Association (JBA) after all. The news was announced on the JBA’s Twitter account with a quote from LiAngelo saying, “I just want to win for the team. That’s all I want to do, win. I’m trying to play ball and I’m trying to get ready every day.”
https://twitter.com/bbbjbaleague/status/1016343737469980674
A product of Los Angeles, LiAngelo will be playing for the Los Angeles Ballers alongside younger brother LaMelo.
The press release also stated that after NBA teams “surprisingly” passed on drafting Gelo, he decided to join the JBA after seeing just how much talent was on the league and how competitive it actually was. He’ll be making his JBA debut this Thursday in Ontario, Calif. as his Los Angeles Ballers take on the Philadelphia Ballers.
https://twitter.com/bbbjbaleague/status/1016336208337821696
Initial reports suggested that Gelo would play for the Lakers summer league, but that never came to pass after they worked him out. Back in June, he told NiceKicks that he’d be willing to join the G League and would not join the JBA.
“Right now, I’m taking it day by day,” Gelo said last month. “I’ll be willing to play in the G League and get moved up from there. That’s an option. I’m not going to play in the JBA. I feel like that’s taking a step back for me. If I have to play in the G League, then that’s what it’s going to be. I’m not running away from the work.”
Meanwhile, little brother LaMelo is out here doing between-the-leg dunks.
