On Monday, reports surfaced that LaVar Ball has pulled his middle son, LiAngelo Ball, from UCLA, effectively ending his collegiate career before it ever had an opportunity to begin.
Ball made the decision in part due to the indefinite suspension LiAngelo received following his shoplifting arrest in China.
A few years after the news surfaced, UCLA released a statement on the situation.
“We learned today of LiAngelo Ball’s intention to withdraw from UCLA. We respect the decision he and his family have made, and we wish him all the best in the future,” the statement read, via ESPN.com.
Ball will now focus on training for the NBA, but there is no guarantee he will be drafted.
In fact, there are some teams who do not view the middle Ball brother as a NBA talent. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski claims LiAngelo has “no chance” of being drafted.
Ex-UCLA freshman LiAngelo Ball has no chance that he'll be drafted in June — and that was true before his shoplifting incident in China. "He's not on any of our scouting lists — even the extended lists," one GM told ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 4, 2017
Ball will struggle to find a serious job playing pro basketball, including the G-League. @Mike_Schmitz projected him in high school as a small-ball stretch 4-man at the mid-major college level. Would make sense for Ball to find a scholarship at a lower level and stay in school.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 4, 2017
That definitely was not part of LaVar’s master plan.
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