LiAngelo Ball facts for kids
Ball with Prienai in 2018
|
|
| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Shooting guard / small forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 24, 1998 Anaheim, California, U.S. |
| High school | Chino Hills (Chino Hills, California) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 2018 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2018–present |
| Career history | |
| 2018 | Prienai |
| 2018 | Los Angeles Ballers |
| 2021–2023 | Greensboro Swarm |
| 2024 | Astros de Jalisco |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
LiAngelo Robert Ball (born November 24, 1998) is an American professional basketball player. He also has a stage name, G3 GELO, for his rap music. He last played for the Astros de Jalisco.
LiAngelo played for Chino Hills High School in California. There, he won a state championship with his brothers Lonzo and LaMelo. Both of his brothers are now NBA players. LiAngelo was expected to play college basketball for UCLA. However, he decided not to after an incident in China. He then signed with the Lithuanian team Prienai.
Later, he played in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA). This league was started by his father, LaVar Ball. LiAngelo then joined the G League. He briefly signed with the Detroit Pistons in 2020 but was later waived. In 2021, he joined the Greensboro Swarm. LiAngelo and his brothers became very famous during their high school years. His father, LaVar, also became a well-known media personality. LiAngelo has his own shoe from his father's company, Big Baller Brand. He also appears on his family's reality show, Ball in the Family. In January 2025, he released a popular rap song called "Tweaker." This led to him signing a big record deal with Def Jam Recordings.
Contents
Early Life and Family
LiAngelo Ball is the second son of LaVar Ball and Tina Ball. Both of his parents played college basketball. His father, LaVar, played for Washington State and Cal State Los Angeles. His mother, Tina, also played for Cal State Los Angeles. LaVar later played professional football.
When he was young, LiAngelo often played basketball against older kids. He faced teams of fourth and fifth graders when he was still in kindergarten. He started training and working out at age four. He first played with both of his brothers, Lonzo and LaMelo, when he was six. At age seven, he also played flag football with them. Lonzo was the quarterback, and LiAngelo and LaMelo caught passes. On the basketball court, LiAngelo grew up playing with his brothers. They were on an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team called Big Ballers VXT. Their father created this team, and both parents coached it.
High School Basketball
LiAngelo Ball played basketball for four years at Chino Hills High School. This school is in Chino Hills, California.
Freshman and Sophomore Years
As a freshman, LiAngelo started alongside his older brother, Lonzo. He helped Chino Hills reach its first-ever CIF Southern Section Open Division championship game. They lost in overtime in the regional final.
In his sophomore year, LiAngelo played with Lonzo and his cousin, Andre Ball. He missed some games due to a foot injury. In December 2014, he scored 53 points in a game. His team lost in the CIF State Division I championship game. After this season, he decided to play college basketball for UCLA.
Junior Year Success
In his junior year, LiAngelo played with both his brothers, Lonzo and LaMelo. In December 2015, he scored 32 points to beat the top-ranked Montverde Academy. He scored 40 points in a semifinal win and helped his team win the tournament. LiAngelo also scored 41 points in another game.
On February 11, he scored 32 points, helping Chino Hills finish the regular season with a perfect 27–0 record. On March 5, 2016, he scored 31 points to win the CIF Southern Section Open Division title. On March 26, he had 18 points to win another Open Division title. As a junior, LiAngelo averaged 27.4 points per game, leading his team. His team finished the season with a perfect 35–0 record. They were named a mythical national champion by MaxPreps. MaxPreps called their title run "perhaps the best brother act in high school basketball history."
Senior Year Highlights
On November 29, LiAngelo scored 56 points in a big win. The very next day, he scored a career-high 72 points. He made 13 three-pointers in that game. This was the tenth-most points scored in a single game in California high school history. On December 26, he scored 65 points in a tournament win. On January 20, 2017, LiAngelo scored 60 points in another victory. Seven days later, he had 52 points and 10 three-pointers in a game.
His team lost in the CIF Southern Section Open Division semifinals. After a 30–3 season, he was named All-Area Player of the Year. He was also a first-team All-State selection. As a senior, he averaged 33.8 points per game. This made him the leading scorer in California.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LiAngelo Ball SG |
Chino Hills, CA | Chino Hills (CA) | 6 ft 5.3 in (1.96 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Apr 21, 2015 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 |
||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 226 | ||||||
Sources: |
||||||
College Basketball
.jpg)
LiAngelo Ball was a highly-rated recruit. He committed to play for the UCLA Bruins as a high school sophomore. He officially signed with UCLA on November 2, 2016. He joined the University of California, Los Angeles on June 1, 2017. He was expected to be a reserve player for UCLA in his freshman season. He played one preseason game with the Bruins on November 1, 2017. He scored 11 points in that game.
On November 7, 2017, LiAngelo and two teammates were involved in an incident in China. They were accused of taking sunglasses from a store. This happened days before UCLA's first game of the season. LiAngelo was suspended indefinitely from the UCLA basketball team because of this. On December 4, he announced he would leave UCLA. His father, LaVar, was unhappy with how long the suspension was. If LiAngelo had stayed, he would have been suspended for the rest of the season.
Professional Basketball Career
After leaving UCLA, LiAngelo planned to prepare for the 2018 NBA Draft.
Playing in Lithuania
On December 11, 2017, LiAngelo signed with Prienai. This team plays in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). His younger brother LaMelo also signed with the team. Their move to Lithuania was widely reported by sports news in America. Prienai stopped playing in the Baltic Basketball League when the Ball brothers arrived. They instead played in special exhibition games. These games were sponsored by the Ball family's company, Big Baller Brand.
LiAngelo played his first professional game on January 13, 2018. He did not score any points in that game. On February 11, he started his first game and scored 13 points. On March 25, LiAngelo scored a season-high 28 points. He made six three-pointers in that game. On March 27, 2018, he said he would enter the 2018 NBA draft. Most experts thought he was unlikely to be picked. On April 19, he hurt his ankle. On April 25, LiAngelo and his family left Prienai. His father was critical of the team's coach. LiAngelo finished the LKL season averaging 12.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. He shot 41.5% from the three-point line. He was not chosen in the 2018 NBA draft.
Los Angeles Ballers
On July 9, 2018, LiAngelo signed with the Los Angeles Ballers. This team is part of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA). His father started this league as another option instead of college basketball. LiAngelo joined the team in the middle of the season. In his first game on July 14, he scored 53 points. He also had 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
LiAngelo was chosen for the JBA All-Star Game. He was named co-MVP of the game after scoring 39 points. In his first playoff game, he scored a season-high 58 points. On August 12, LiAngelo scored 58 points again in the Finals. He also had 11 rebounds and 6 assists. His team won the championship, and he was named Finals MVP. After the season, LiAngelo was one of 14 players chosen for the JBA USA select Team. This team played against European teams on an international tour.
Greensboro Swarm
In July 2019, LiAngelo had surgery for an ankle injury. This made him miss the NBA Summer League. On December 29, he signed with the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League. He was a practice player for them. On March 9, 2020, he officially signed with the Blue. The team played only one game, which LiAngelo did not play in. The rest of the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On December 2, 2020, LiAngelo signed a training camp contract with the Detroit Pistons. He was waived on December 13, before playing in any preseason games.
In the summer of 2021, LiAngelo was invited to work out with his brother LaMelo's team, the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets staff was impressed with him. He earned a spot on their Summer League team. In his Summer League debut, he made five three-pointers in 16 minutes. On October 14, 2021, LiAngelo signed with the Hornets. However, he was waived the very next day.
On October 23, 2021, the Greensboro Swarm picked LiAngelo 14th overall in the 2021 NBA G League draft. He scored 22 points in his G League debut.
LiAngelo joined the Charlotte Hornets again for the 2022 NBA Summer League. On September 26, 2022, he signed a contract with the Hornets that was not guaranteed. He was waived again on October 15, 2022. On October 23, 2022, LiAngelo rejoined the Greensboro Swarm team for training camp.
Astros de Jalisco
On February 14, 2024, it was announced that LiAngelo had signed with the Astros de Jalisco. This team plays in the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA) in Mexico. He played his first game for them on March 1. He played six minutes but did not record any stats. After playing only two games, LiAngelo left the team. He had a ligament injury in his left ankle and chose to recover in the United States.
Music Career
In January 2025, LiAngelo Ball released his first song, "Tweaker." It became very popular. A writer from Pitchfork said the song sounded like 2000s Louisiana hip-hop. The song reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
On January 13, 2025, it was reported that LiAngelo Ball signed a record deal with Def Jam Recordings. The deal was worth up to $13 million, with $8 million guaranteed.
Discography
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B /HH |
AUS |
CAN |
IRE |
NZ |
WW |
|||
| "Tweaker" | 2025 | 29 | 7 | 41 | 27 | 79 | 14 | 56 | TBA |
Personal Life
LiAngelo has two famous brothers who play in the NBA. His older brother, Lonzo, is a point guard for the Chicago Bulls. Lonzo was the second player picked in the 2017 draft. His younger brother, LaMelo, is a point guard for the Charlotte Hornets. LaMelo was picked third in the 2020 draft. Their cousin, Andre Ball, played college basketball for Pepperdine.
In April 2023, LiAngelo and reality TV star Nikki Mudarris announced they were having a baby. Their son, LaVelo Anthony Ball, was born on July 19, 2023. The next year, on December 3, 2024, they welcomed a baby girl named LaNiyah Nicole Ball.
Images for kids
-
Ball (left) with his father LaVar and brother LaMelo after an exhibition game against London Lions in 2018
See also
In Spanish: LiAngelo Ball para niños
