With BC Vytautas needing to win their last two games to avoid relegation from the Lithuanian first division, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball are headed back to the United States, thus ending LaVar Ball’s misguided attempt to keep his family in the news. Ball told Donatas Urbonas, who first reported the news, that LiAngelo needed time to rehab his ankle before the draft and LaMelo was no longer getting playing time, so they decided to leave. Presumably, he’s referring to the Brazilian league draft, because dude is not nearly an NBA player.
Since the Ball brothers were only notionally in Lithuania to play basketball, the news isn’t altogether shocking, but BC Vytautas coach Virginijus Seskus and Ball are incensed at each other.
Seskus also said that LaMelo was not interested in defense, while LaVar Ball said that “coach ruined everything,” so Seskus was going to have to pay the price of no longer having his youngest son on his team. I’m sure he’ll miss a reedy 16-year-old who shot 23 percent from the field in his nine games. Seskus, who had to have known that Ball tends to freak out when anyone else coaches his sons, responded to Ball’s scathing assessment by saying, “Whatever. It’s unacceptable. Kids want to play pro but is it an example how to behave? LaVar loves his family but he doesn’t understand that 16-year-old kid can’t fully play at strong pro league. That’s the worst.”
This is all very dumb, and now the two brothers will no longer be able to play college ball because of their dad. Who knows, maybe they’ll go ruin a Hungarian third-division club next year.