In the beginning (according to Wikipedia)….
Lonzo Ball was born in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Anaheim, California to LaVar and Tina Ball, who were both former college basketball players. The 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m) LaVar played at Washington State before transferring to Cal State Los Angeles, where the 6-foot (1.8 m) Tina was also playing. A two-sport star, LaVar also played American football professionally for the London Monarchs in the World League of Football.
LaMelo began playing basketball at age four with his brothers Lonzo and LiAngelo. Growing up, the trio played on teams coached by their father, including Big Ballers VXT of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), where they would continue playing into high school. During his childhood, LaMelo mainly played against opponents several years older than him. In one game, facing players of ages 16 and 17, he scored 29 points. By age 13, he stood 5-foot-7 (1.7 m). He verbally committed to play college basketball for UCLA at the age of 13, before starting high school. He became the third of his brothers to do so.
Lavar Ball was born on October 23, 1968 and was brought up in South Los Angeles. He has four brothers, named LaFrance, LaValle, LaRenzo, and LaShon. LaVar attended Canoga Park High School in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, where he was a prominent quarterback on the football team and played basketball as a forward. In one season, Ball grabbed a total of 316 rebounds to break the school record. He stood 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and weighed 225 lbs (102 kg) by college.
THE REAL DEAL (according to our sources):
Lonzo Ball is projected to be a top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. The expectations are high for the talented UCLA point guard. As a McDonald’s All-American in high school, he led his high school basketball team, along with his brothers, to a state championship. Upon arriving at UCLA, he has generated comparisons to Jason Kidd. Their numbers in the Pac 12 Conference are comparable during their freshman seasons.
The oldest ball rep’d the Big Baller Brand before college but NCAA rules prohibit amateurs athletes promoting any brand outside one that has a deal with the NCAA. Expect Lonzo to flash the triple B on stage when he’s taken as a top 3 pick.
LiAngelo is expected to enter UCLA this fall after his older brother leaves for the NBA. Lavar has stated that all his sons will be one & done but LiAngelo may prove the exception to the rule. He has the physique to match players at the next level but he’s relatively short for a shooting guard. He will need to make leaps and bounds over the next few years to really be competitive at UCLA & NBA.
It has been stated that LiMelo might be the most talented of the Ball brothers. He currently is a key endorser of the Big Baller Brand. He scored almost 100 pts in a game early in the 2017 basketball season. His skills are similar to Ricky Rubio. When he grows into his frame and polishes his game, he may surpass older brother Lonzo as the crown basketball jewel of the trio.
The brainchild behind the triple B movement is LaVar. His athletic dreams were not fulfilled so he’s living them vicariously through his sons. He’s the driving force and has taken the sports world by surprise with his candid talk. He fully believes his sons will be all elite players. This remains to be seen but he’s attracted a lot of attention with his comments. This is helping the Big Baller Brand get exposure and he’s opened an eCommerce online store to capitalize on the free marketing. Some of his claims included Lonzo being better than Steph Curry & him wanting $1B for his sons’ endorsement deals. It remains to be seen whether he’s a distraction or asset long term.
