“The only healthy Ball brother”: NBA fans laud LiAngelo Ball’s grittiness as he continues basketball journey in Mexico

LiAngelo Ball, the brother of NBA stars Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, has taken his talents to Mexico. Fans lauded his effort to continue his professional journey.

The 25-year-old Anaheim, California, native, who went undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, recently made his debut with the defending champions Astros de Jalisco in the Mexican league CIBACOPA.

It's the latest stop of Ball’s basketball journey, that saw him play with the Greensboro Swarm, the Charlotte Hornet’s G League affiliate, for the previous two years.

Overtime TV posted on X (formerly Twitter) a highlight tape of LiAngelo Ball’s debut outing in Mexico, where he is seen shooting threes, playing defense and grabbing rebounds. Fans gave their take on it, with some giving some words of encouragement to him to continue balling.

Below are some reactions on X:

@bigbaggether wrote:

The only healthy ball brother

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LiAngelo Ball’s unconventional basketball journey

Unlike his brothers, Lonzo and LaMelo, who have established themselves in the NBA, LiAngelo Ball has taken an unconventional route to realize it.

A three-star recruit out of Chino Hills High School in California, Ball was supposed to play for the UCLA Bruins. However took an unexpected turn when he and two other UCLA teammates were arrested in China for allegedly stealing items from a Louis Vuitton store in Shanghai.

He was suspended by the school over the incident and eventually decided to forego college. LiAngelo Ball went overseas and signed with Lithuanian professional team Prienai. He later played in the Junior Basketball Association, which was established by his father LaVar. In 2018, he applied for the NBA draft but went undrafted.

The opportunity to play in the G League came after that, and he was signed by the Greensboro Swarm, an affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets. He played there from 2021-23. He posted scoring averages of 9.1 points and 5.7 points, respectively, in his two seasons with the team.

He joined the Hornets for the 2022 NBA Summer League but was later on waived. Recently, Ball signed with the Astros de Jalisco in Mexico, where he looks to recalibrate his basketball push and possibily earn another look from NBA teams.