LaMelo Ball spent the 2018-19 basketball season playing for SPIRE Academy in Ohio following a brief stint overseas.
The younger brother of the Los Angeles Lakers point guard is not eligible for the 2019 NBA Draft, and it seems doubtful that he’ll play college basketball, so his 2019-20 future is still up in the air.
Ball hinted at a potential destination on Twitter this week.
RJ Hampton, a five-star recruit in the 2019 class, is skipping college to play for the New Zealand Breakers in 2019-20.
The elite recruit is trying to get the youngest Ball brother to join him overseas.
LaMelo Ball seems open to the idea.
Ball, once ranked a legitimate five-star recruit with interest from several of college basketball’s biggest schools, appears to be seriously considering the idea.
USA TODAY, though, points out that the league’s rules could prevent this from happening. However, it’s possible to make an exemption to create even more hype:
We could be Debbie Downers and point out that, from a quick glance at the rules, it appears to be impossible for two “Next Stars” to be on the same team. It would be unprecedented territory for the league, though, with two high profile “Next Stars” eager to join up on the same team. If the league is looking to use this as a way to generate attention, pairing them up could be interesting.
LaMelo Ball is listed as the No. 3 point guard and the No. 25 overall recruit in the 2019 class by 247Sports’ Composite Rankings.
About the author
Andrew Holleran
Editor, The Spun