The Big Baller Brand might soon be setting up camp in Eastern Europe. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball are in “serious discussions” to sign with Prienu Vytautas, which competes in the Lithuanian (LKL) League and the Baltic (BBL) League. The club will decide within the next day or two whether to “finalize an agreement” with LaVar Ball’s two youngest sons.
Prienu Vytautas currently sits seventh in the LKL with a 4-9 record, and isn’t expected to be one of the top teams by season’s end, per Eurohoops. The club does not compete in the EuroLeague or the EuroCup, but will face teams domestically that are in those competitions (i.e. Zalgiris Kaunas in the EuroLeague, Lietkabelis and Lietuvos Rytas in the EuroCup).
Per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Lonzo Ball’s brothers wouldn’t likely see much time in the LKL, but could garner significant minutes—perhaps as many as 20-to-25 per game—in the BBL, wherein BC Prieneai has won its last three games since forfeiting a contest against Sadolini Spordihoone on Oct. 31. From the team’s perspective, the additions of Gelo and Melo would be driven, at least in part, by marketing potential.
It’s a good thing, too, that the Balls aren’t concerned about the money, since there won’t likely be much on offer for them in Lithuania—if they get paid at all.
The family’s preference for a package deal over payment should make
Per Givony, Prienu Vytautas doesn’t have much history as a haven for American players. The only example he could find was former Vanderbilt guard Brad Tinsley, who didn’t last long in the town of Prienai.
Chino Hills isn’t exactly a big city itself. As of July 2016, the United States Census Bureau estimated a population of under 80,000 residents for the seat of the Ball Estate.
That said, Gelo and Melo are intimately familiar with the culture, language and lifestyle of Chino Hills. Prienai, some 5,900 miles away, will offer an entirely new set of circumstances, with little (if any) English spoken among a small sea of Lithuanian.
All the more reason, then, for LaVar and his brothers to accompany the two teenagers to this or any far-flung reach of the basketball world.
Stay tuned for further details.
