LaVar Ball might think he's got his son's best interest at heart, after pulling his middle son LiAngelo out of one of the best basketball programs in the country in UCLA, but his delusion might just cost his kid an education, a year of college ball and most importantly — a future.
The obnoxious cartoon character we've come to meet through his usual media rants and even CNN spotlights, is now meddling with his son's most vital years of growth under the promise that he'll get him ready to participate in the NBA Draft, which he claims was his plan all along.
“We learned today of LiAngelo Ball’s intention to withdraw from UCLA,” said the Bruins head coach Steve Alford in a statement via Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. “We respect the decision he and his family have made, and we wish him all the best in the future.”
If LiAngelo didn't pass the eye test during his high school, experts' opinions aren't falling for it either, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who claimed the former freshman had “no chance” to be drafted in June, not even an outside one.
“He's not on any of our scouting lists — even the extended list,” an NBA general manager told Wojnarowski.
The analysis went even further, saying the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Ball would struggle to find a serious job playing professional basketball, including even the G League, as NCAA Insider Mike Schmitz had projected him as a small-ball stretch-four at a mid-major college.
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
Ball had yet to play in any official game in a Bruins jersey after he was suspended for shoplifting in China. When he did play in pre-season scrimmages, he came off the bench in limited minutes.
His size at 230 pounds is too big for a guard with no signs of athleticism or distinct unique abilities, even coming from a high school which was basically tailored to get him and his brother LaMelo shots during games.
To put it simply, LiAngelo was lucky to crack a Division I program like UCLA, and his father LaVar has stripped all of that luck away for pulling him out of the school with the empty promise that he will make him an NBA-ready prospect.
Unless LaVar is broadcasting some incredible workouts and finding pro-ready competition to test him against, his son's days as a basketball player are as good as gone, unless he can find a school willing to give him a shot.
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