The Los Angeles Lakers told LiAngelo Ball they won't sign him to their summer league team after he went undrafted Thursday night in the 2018 NBA draft, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported.
Shelburne spoke to a source who said the decision has "more to it than basketball," which she inferred to be a reference to Ball's father, LaVar Ball, tweeting, "the LaVar effect was real."
It's not hard to see why the Lakers would shy away from deepening the Ball family connections with the organization. LaVar has already provided his fair share of headaches for the Lakers over the past season.
Accommodating LaVar is one thing when doing so means having Lonzo Ball on your roster. Lonzo averaged 10.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists as a rookie. Should he fail to become an All-Star point guard, he'll almost certainly be a solid starter in the NBA for years to become.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2782455-lakers-rumors-liangelo-ball-wont-be-o