LaMelo Melo was ejected for getting into a physical altercation with an opponent during a JBA international game in Lithuania. Ball was looking for contact as he drove to the rim. There was no call and following his turnover, he shoved the defender closest to him. The defender proceeded to grab the back of LaMelo's head which provoked Ball to smack the defender across the face.
A shoving match and scrum ensued. The benches cleared and a moshpit of players got involved. This isn't the publicity the JBA was looking for in this international game.
LaMelo Bell gets ejected after slapping an opponent during a JBA International game! pic.twitter.com/r346mSi1Vk
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 1, 2018
Ball, 17, has already played professionally in Lithuania, but he shouldn't expect a warm welcome there anymore. This fight is a black eye for the Ball family. On the other hand, there's no such thing as bad publicity.
LaMelo is the youngest of the three Ball brothers. LaMelo's oldest brother, Lonzo is slowly returning from surgery and he is one of the centerpieces on an exciting Los Angeles Lakers team. But LiAngelo's NBA prospects don't look so promising. He went undrafted and didn't play in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Despite the familiar name, no teams were interested in the middle Ball brother. But LaMelo still has a potential future in the NBA. He's eyeing the 2020 draft and many expect him to follow in Lonzo's footsteps. Unfortunately, incidents like this will hurt his stock with NBA teams.
Talent will always convince teams to take a chance. Teams will undoubtedly keep an eye on LaMelo in the coming years.
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