LiAngelo, LaMelo Ball In 'Serious Discussions' With Lithuanian Basketball Team

Former UCLA guard LiAngelo Ball and his younger brother LaMelo Ball engaged in "serious discussions" regarding basketball opportunities with a Lithuanian team, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday.

According to the report, LiAngelo Ball, 19, and LaMelo Ball, 16, were discussing contracts with team Prienu Vytautas in the Lithuanian league. The two sides will decide in the next "24-to-48 hours whether to finalize an agreement."

LaVar Ball, the father of the two players, removed both sons from their schools this year. He pulled LaMelo from Chino Hills High School, then pulled LiAngelo from UCLA last week after he and two teammates were suspended indefinitely from the school last month as punishment for a shoplifting arrest while the Bruins were in China.

The news comes after reports that LiAngelo and LaMelo were mulling options to sign internationally, according to Yahoo Sports. LiAngelo announced last week that he would not return to the UCLA basketball program. They reportedly signed with sports agent Harrison Gaines, who represents their older brother, Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Lonzo Ball.

The chances that LiAngelo would be selected in the 2018 NBA draft in June were slim. He was rated as a three-star college prospect by most recruiting publications.

After he pulled LiAngelo from UCLA last week, LaVar claimed he wasn’t worried about both son’s basketball future.

"I don't care about the money," LaVar told ESPN last week. "I want them to go somewhere where they will play them together on the court at the same time. The priority is for the boys to play on the same team."

LiAngelo and LaMelo both played basketball at Chino Hills High School in Southern California.