LiAngelo Ball Says Playing in LaVar's JBA League Would Be a 'Step Back'

LiAngelo Ball has yet to catch on with an NBA team, but he doesn't intend to continue his basketball career in the Junior Basketball Association created by his father, LaVar Ball.

In an interview with NiceKicks.com on Wednesday, Ball discussed the next step in his basketball future: "Right now, I'm taking it day by day. I'll be willing to play in the G League and get moved up from there. That's an option. I'm not going to play in the JBA. I feel like that's taking a step back for me. If I have to play in the G League, then that's what it's going to be. I'm not running away from the work."

LaVar created the JBA as an alternative to the NCAA, and it allows both high school and junior college players to compete in a professional league.

The JBA debuted last week in Ontario, California, in front of a sparse crowd.

LiAngelo was not selected in the 2018 NBA draft, and he hasn't yet been granted a summer-league opportunity by an NBA team. In late May, LiAngelo worked out for the Lakers leading up to the draft.

After leaving UCLA before ever playing a game at the school on the heels of a shoplifting incident in China, Ball and his brother, LaMelo, signed with Lithuanian professional team Vytautas Prienu.

In 15 games, he averaged 12.9 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and a solid 40.7 percent from beyond the arc.

A return to Europe could be viable for LiAngelo if nothing opens up on the NBA front, although he didn't mention that as a possibility.