LaVar Ball called the Pistons organization “raggedy as hell” after they waived his son, LiAngelo Ball on Monday morning.
Detroit signed the younger Ball to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract earlier this month, but the undrafted 22-year-old didn’t play in either of the Pistons’ two preseason games. The elder Ball was asked about the roster move in an interview with Bleacher Report.
“I definitely have thoughts on that,” said LaVar, whose other sons Lonzo (Pelicans) and LaMelo (Hornets) play in the NBA as well. “The people in Detroit are great. I love the fans, but the franchise over there is raggedy as hell. They don’t know a good player. I was giving them a lottery pick for free! [He] has the skills to play and the notoriety to bring everybody to the game.
“How do you throw that out the window? They’re gonna learn the hard way. My boys are gonna end up together playing somewhere. ‘Gelo can shoot the lights out. That was raggedy what they did. But hey, they’re gonna learn the hard way.”
While Lonzo was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and LaMelo was taken with No. 3 this year, LiAngelo went undrafted in 2018. He famously enrolled at UCLA in 2017 but never made it onto the court after he was suspended for shoplifting sunglasses during an international trip to China.
LiAngelo went on to play in the Lithuanian Basketball League in 2018 before returning to the U.S. to play in his father’s Junior Basketball Association. In 2019, he signed a G-League contract with the Oklahoma City Blues, but the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
