To the surprise of exactly zero people, LaVar Ball is pulling his sons, LiAngelo and LaMelo, from their Lithuanian team BC Vytautas two games before the end of the season, citing issues with the head coach, according to reporter Donatas Urbonas.
The 10 most ridiculous moments from the Ball family’s Lithuanian vacation
The Ball’s are leaving Lithuania. There’s a lot to remember from their time there.
Photo by Alius Koroliovas/Getty Images
LaVar said LaMelo, who is still two years from gaining NBA draft eligibility, won’t return to the team next year. “You really ask me this?” he said, according to Urbonas. “Coach ruined everything and he’ll have to pay the price that Melo is not coming back.”
LiAngelo has declared for the 2018 NBA draft, where he probably won’t be selected.
The Ball family did their thing in Lithuania for a four-month period of time, longer than many thought they would. They brought a duo of unafraid shooters, a Big Ballers Pro-Am league, and so, so much attention to a never-heard-of athletic area of the world.
Here are some of the best, worst, and most Ball moments of the past four months:
The chaos when the Balls arrived in Lithuania
This was a HUGE deal for a town of just 10,000.
The announcer who sang “Welcome to Lithuania” before the Ball’s first tip-off
Seriously, everyone was REALLY excited.
The time LaVar Ball started a Big Baller League to get his sons exposure
In January, the Balls set up a Big Baller Brand challenge so LiAngelo and LaMelo could play in five friendly games for, well, attention. The challenge lasted five games and pitted Vytautas against inferior opponents from Lithuanian leagues to make LiAngelo and LaMelo look good. It worked! Over 1.6 million people watched through Facebook.
The competition included:
A BBB court
Referees wearing BBB logos
LiAngelo botching this layup
LaVar spinning
That time LaVar Ball coached the team
In the fifth game of the BBB challenge, LaVar coached, and his team won, 151-120, in a game with predictably no defense. LaMelo and LiAngelo were both on the court for all but three minutes. But the most Ball Family part didn’t happen until after the game.
Coach LaVar Ball’s postgame speech
Yep, he compared his team’s shooting to uzis ... and said he told the actual head coach to eat milk and cookies ... and said he never loses and is always right.
Just LaVar stuff. Yet there was more.
LaVar set up LiAngelo to score 72 points the day he declared for the draft
After the Big Baller Brand Challenge, there was the Big Baller Brand International Tournament, which set Vytautas up to play against international teens.
The day LiAngelo declared for the draft, his team played against the Guandong Southern Tigers. The Tigers’ starting point guard stood 5’10 and his only recorded stats from an under-17 World Cup showed averaged 4.5 points on 27 percent shooting.
LiAngelo was playing against bad competition when he went off for 72 points so he could make headlines.
The highlights from the competition should drive home the point here:
A total Ball Family move had headlines reading that LiAngelo dropped 72 points, while many failed to acknowledge, uhh, how he was able to do that. The game was a joke.
So farewell, Lithuanian LaVar, Lithuanian LiAngelo and Lithuanian LaMelo. Thanks for the memories ... we think?
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