LaVar Ball has taken his younger two songs, LiAngelo (19) and LaMelo (16) out of American schools at UCLA and Chino Hills to bring them to the storied courts of the… Lithuanian league.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the younger Balls will sign with Lithuanian club Prienu Vytautas.
Story filed to ESPN with @DraftExpress: LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball are in serious discussions to sign professional basketball deals with Lithuanian club Prienu Vytautas. Club plans to decide in next 24-to-48 hours whether to finalize an agreement with the two American teenagers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 11, 2017
This is a truly bizarre turn in the ever-changing Ball saga. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, an expert on European basketball prospects, broke down what the younger Balls can expect in their new Lithuanian home.
First of all, Givony said the Balls “are not expected to see major playing time for Prienu Vytautas” but may be granted more time in the Baltic League, “where the stakes are much lower.”
The Ball brothers are not expected to see major playing time for Prienu Vytautas in the Lithuanian (LKL) league, but could be afforded an opportunity to develop in the Baltic (BBL) League, where the stakes are much lower. The club must decide whether to pull the trigger first. https://t.co/XIihTVnZMD
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 11, 2017
Givony then claimed that he wouldn’t be surprised if “the Ball brothers ended up playing for free” in what is far from the most “glamorous league or part of the world to live in.”
That’s a little harsh on Lithuania but going from a charmed life in Southern California, where the Balls have grown up and been local stars their whole life, to this austere Eastern Bloc country will be personally testing for sure.
From what I'm told, salaries for players at this level of competition usually don't exceed $500 per month in the absolute best case. It wouldn't surprise me if the Ball brothers ended up playing for free. Certainly not the most glamorous league or part of the world to live in.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 11, 2017
Givony touched on this, describing the “major culture shock” LaMelo and LiAngelo will experience on their move to Prienai.
Prienu Vytautas has only had one American player on their roster in the past decade, Brad Tinsley, who departed after a month of action, according to my research. The Balls would likely be faced with a major culture shock in Prienai, a small village of around 10,000 people.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 11, 2017
The Balls are perhaps helped by the fact that, as Givony reports, Virginijus Seskus, the head coach of Prienu Vytautas, has been called “the LaVar Ball of Lithuania” and his “high energy” will be familiar to LaVar’s sons.
Virginijus Seskus, coach of Prienu Vytautas, who is considering signing LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball, has been described to me as "the LaVar Ball of Lithuania". Very high energy guy apparently. Loves to get technical fouls. They'll get along great, despite him speaking no english.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 11, 2017
Lithuania, a small Baltic nation with less than 3 million people, has a respectable history of NBA players like Jonas Valanciunas, Donatas Motiejunas, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Arvydas Sobonis, and his son Domas.
This is truly the most bizarre twist yet in the Ball family story. It’s unclear if LaVar Ball has made a misstep or if this is another stroke of genius.