LiAngelo Ball was one of the many candidates waiting patiently for their name to be called in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. But the picks were called one after another and Ball's name wasn't called — not by his beloved Los Angeles Lakers at the 47th overall selection or the Phoenix Suns, his last-ditch option with the penultimate draft pick.
The latest episode of “Ball in the Family” showed what it was like for Ball through draft night, as his father, LaVar, had scheduled his JBA league opener to coincide with the draft. LiAngelo sat in the front row to support his younger brother, LaMelo.
While filming, LiAngelo revealed that the Lakers had been talking to him that day throughout the first round, and he thought either the Lakers or Suns would give him a shot with their second-round selections.
Via Andrew Joseph of For The Win:
“It sucks I didn’t get drafted tonight,” said Ball in the last episode. “I guess it was the way I played. I guess. Or the (expletive) I did off the court. At this point, I’m just… I’m good.”
Most analysts agreed that Ball was a relative shot in the dark in this draft, having shown very limited gameplay in a league where the competition level is less than desirable, instead of taking the college route, which would have provided much more exposure with a storied Division I program in UCLA.
Funny to think, had LaVar fought the urge to take center stage in the shoplifting scandal and pull his son from the school, LiAngelo would have a more realistic route to the NBA, an opportunity which has likely passed by now.
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