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LiAngelo Ball: 'S--t I Did off the Court' Was the Reason I Didn't Get Drafted

Rob Goldberg@TheRobGoldbergX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistSeptember 5, 2018

LiAngelo Ball participates in a pre-draft workout at the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA basketball facility in El Segundo, Calif., Tuesday, May 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Reed Saxon/Associated Press

LiAngelo Ball wasn't taken in the 2018 NBA draft, and he thinks his China arrest could be a major reason.

An episode of Ball in the Family released Sunday showed Ball following along with the draft before discussing why he thinks his name wasn't called. 

"I don't know. I guess it's the way I play, I guess," he said, via TMZ Sports. "Or the s--t I did off the court."

Ball was arrested for shoplifting during a UCLA team trip to China prior to the start of the regular season.

He was suspended indefinitely by the Bruins following the incident before his father, LaVar Ball, took him out of school to play with his younger brother, LaMelo Ball, in Lithuania.

The goal was for them to play together for the Los Angeles Lakers, where oldest brother Lonzo Ball currently plays. However, the two youngest siblings are instead playing for the Junior Basketball Association created by the father.

While LiAngelo played relatively well for Vytautas Prienu in Lithuania, averaging 12.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in 14 contests, it wasn't enough to convince teams to give him a chance in the draft.

Of course, the off-court problems might not have anything to do with him being passed over based on early reports.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN shot down any chance of Ball being drafted in December, adding it had nothing to do with the shoplifting incident.

"He's not on any of our scouting lists—even the extended lists," a general manager told Wojnarowski.

In any case, his arrest likely didn't help his cause.