LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball each had triple-doubles to lead the Los Angeles Ballers into a 171-140 triumph over the Philadelphia Ballers on Thursday night.
Nearly a month after not being selected in the NBA Draft, LiAngelo exploded for 53 points on top of 10 rebounds and 10 assists. LiAngelo converted 24-for-42 from the field but just 4-out-of-18 from the three-point country.
Not to be outdone was his younger brother, LaMelo, who finished with 29 points, 19 assists, and 17 rebounds. The 171 points tallied by the LA Ballers also eclipsed their previous record of 150 in their 150-145 triumph over the Seattle Ballers last month.
"I feel good. I wanted to come out and get the hang of things and it was a good win." LiAngelo said during the post-match interview on Facebook.
Among the celebrated names in attendance at the Citizens Business Bank Arena to watch LiAngelo and Lamelo compete were their eldest brother Lonzo and their father LaVar. Lonzo is the only NBA player of the three siblings after being selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The 19-year-old LiAngelo attended UCLA for the 2017-18 season but decided to leave school after being charged with shoplifting in China. LiAngelo turned professional earlier this year in Lithuania wherein he scored 72 points before eventually declaring himself for the NBA Draft.
Regardless of his stellar play overseas, LiAngelo failed to get an invitation to play in the NBA Summer League. If that debacle wasn't enough, he was not also invited to compete in the NBA G League developmental league.
LaMelo To The NBA
SB Nation journalist Christian D'Andrea believes that LaMelo has a higher chance of making it to the NBA compared to LiAngelo. The 16-year-old LaMelo has been doing wonders for the Ball family as he scored 92 points in February of last year.
Three years ago, LaMelo made headlines when he committed to UCLA as a 13-year-old. Nonetheless, D'Andrea is uncertain of how LaMelo will develop as a competitor since he will be playing in the JBA and in Lithuania.
The top 10 players of the 2018 JBA season will be brought overseas to join LaVar's tour in Lithuania. The JBA season which kicked off last month is a weekly tournament pitting eight teams.
In addition, it is a four quarter and 48-minute game that also sports a 24-second shot clock and an NBA 3-point-line. The league is primarily made up of players who chose to forgo their college eligibility to chase their NBA dreams.
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