LaVar Ball will withdraw suspended son from UCLA

The father of UCLA guard LiAngelo Ball says he plans to withdraw his son from school because of concerns related to the freshman's indefinite suspension for his admitted participation in a shoplifting incident during the Bruins' trip to China.

The school took disciplinary measures against LiAngelo for his arrest in China for shoplifting. The Chinese government released Ball and two other UCLA basketball players after President Trump intervened on their behalf during his Asia trip last month.

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LaVar Ball, a media personality and businessman who heads the apparel company Big Baller Brand, told ESPN he will continue preparing his son for an NBA draft.

“We are exploring other options with Gelo,” Ball said. “He’s out of there.”

The determined sports father isn’t daunted by the feat of preparing a son for the NBA without solid experience in a college team. Ball’s oldest son, Lonzo, is a rookie with the Lakers after having played a single good season at UCLA. But LiAngelo never played a regular-season game for the Bruins.

Ball also took aim at UCLA administrators, whom he accused of treating his son worse than the Chinese penal system.

“I’m not sitting back and waiting. He wasn’t punished this bad in China. We get back over here, and the consequences were even stiffer than China. So basically they’re in jail here.”

Ball did not contact the university prior to announcing his decision. “I haven’t told any of those guys,” Ball said. “They didn’t tell me anything, so why am I gonna tell them?”

He also criticized the school’s basketball staff for allegedly sidelining his son.

“They had him there just to use the Ball family name. They were going to keep the best shooter on the team coming off the bench? That’s like telling the Clippers back in the day not to play JJ Redick.”

Ball claimed LiAngelo will be better prepared for the NBA by training on his own. “I’m going to make him way better for the draft than UCLA ever could have.”

But insiders say Ball’s chances aren’t good. “He’s not on any of our scouting lists — even the extended lists,” a general manager told ESPN.

LaVar Ball gained notoriety for refusing to acknowledge the President’s role in freeing his son from jail. This led to a bitter back-and-forth between the two.