It’s Ball in the family for the Oklahoma City Blue.
LiAngelo Ball, the middle brother of Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, joined the Thunder’s NBA G-League affiliate, the OKC Blue as a practice player.
Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman first reported the story on Sunday afternoon.
LiAngelo Ball has joined the Oklahoma City Blue as a practice player. https://t.co/Bi4kaLKEAx
— Joe Mussatto (@joe_mussatto) December 29, 2019
According to Mussatto, Ball was seen at the Blue’s game Sunday afternoon against the Sioux Falls Skyforce. A spokesperson for the Thunder confirmed to The Oklahoman that Ball had joined the team as a practice player earlier in December.
It is important to note that while Ball is a practice player, he is not officially a member of the OKC Blue.
The Thunder were reportedly interested in taking a look at LiAngelo during the Las Vegas Summer League before Ball had to undergo surgery to repair damaged ligaments in his ankle.
Like his older brother Lonzo, LiAngelo committed to play collegiate basketball at UCLA. However, his career for the Bruins was over before it began as he was suspended just days before the start of his freshman season due to an alleged shoplifting incident in China.
LiAngelo officially withdrew from UCLA in December 2017 without playing in a single game for the Bruins.
His most recent basketball experience was with the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association, a team and league founded by his father, LaVar.