LaVar Ball’s dream of having all his sons in the NBA has been deferred.
On Monday, LiAngelo Ball was one of three players waived by the Detroit Pistons as the NBA exhibition season continues. LiAngelo was signed by the Pistons earlier in this month, which was widely — and incorrectly — denoted as the moment in which he and his two brothers were simultaneously on NBA rosters.
In November, LaMelo was the third overall draft pick in the NBA draft, making him and his brother Lonzo the first siblings to be top-three NBA draft picks. Lonzo and LaMelo play for the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Charlotte Hornets, respectively.
Upon learning the news that LiAngelo was cut, LaVar Ball had some scathing words for the Detroit organization, making it clear he thought they had made the wrong decision.
“I definitely have thoughts on that,” said LaVar in a recent Bleacher Report AMA. “The people in Detroit are great. I love the fans, but the franchise over there is raggedy as hell. They don’t know a good player. I was giving them a lottery pick for free! [He] has the skills to play and the notoriety to bring everybody to the game.
“How do you throw that out the window? They’re gonna learn the hard way. My boys are gonna end up together playing somewhere. ’Gelo can shoot the lights out. That was raggedy what they did. But hey, they’re gonna learn the hard way.”
In the past, LaVar Ball has been adamant that all three of his sons would eventually be forces to reckon with in the NBA.
“I see my boys, in the near future, man, they’re going to be the face of the NBA. Everybody’s trying to create the big three. They’ve been the big three since they’ve been babies,” LaVar told The Players’ Tribune in April. “And people are telling me ‘Man, you know the odds of all three of your boys being on the same team?’ And I say ‘Yeah, probably the same odds of me coming into the NBA with my own brand.’ Don’t tell me nothing about no odds.”
After the initial announcement of LiAngelo’s signing, LaVar tweeted, “I told you so” with a photo of his three sons, along with another tweet that said “PROUD!! We’re just getting started,” and that displayed his sons in their respective NBA uniforms.
As previously reported, LiAngelo’s deal was a non-guaranteed contract that included an Exhibition 10 clause and did not mean he was an active member of the roster. LiAngelo’s contract granted him an invitation to the Pistons’ training camp and a chance to sign with Detroit’s G-League team if he didn’t make the roster. Last year he signed a G-League deal with the Oklahoma City Blue, but he never saw action on the floor before the season was forced to shut down due to COVID-19.
