LiAngelo Ball, the often forgotten Ball brother, got one step closer to achieving his goal of reaching the NBA. Over the weekend, it was revealed that Gelo has signed with the Oklahoma City Blue, the NBA G League affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder, as a practice player.
The news was first reported by Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman after confirming the news with an OKC Blue spokesperson. It is important to note, however, that the middle Ball brother is not officially a member of the team.
LiAngelo reportedly joined the Blue as a practice player earlier this month after the G League Winter Showcase.
As a practice player, LiAngelo will be able to practice with the G League players and will also have access to NBA facilities. Most importantly, he will have the opportunity to showcase his talents for members of the Oklahoma City Thunder front office as he continues to push for a shot in the league.
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It was previously reported that the Oklahoma City Thunder were interested in bringing LiAngelo in for the Summer League, but surgery to repair injured ankle ligaments temporarily sidelined Ball and forced the Thunder to look elsewhere.
Ball has had a wild ride to get to this point. The brother of former No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball and potential 2020 No. 1 pick LaMelo, Ball was suspended by the UCLA Bruins basketball team after a shoplifting incident in China before ever playing an official game. He later withdrew from the university.
From there, Ball would go overseas where he played for BC Vytautas Prienai of the Lithuanian Basketball League before joining the Los Angeles Ballers of his father’s Junior Basketball Association.
Now, he will be looking to impress and open the door for an opportunity on an official G League or NBA roster and prove that teams were wrong in passing over him in the 2018 NBA Draft.
