LiAngelo Ball is on his way to the NBA.
Harrison Gaines, Ball's agent, told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday that Ball has declared for the 2018 NBA Draft. He has submitted early-entry paperwork for the draft, which will take place in June. Between now and then, Ball will participate in the Pro Basketball Combine at IMG Academy in front of many NBA team executives.
Ball, 19, has been playing with the professional Lithuanian team Vytautas Prienu ever since his father LaVar Ball pulled him out of UCLA in December following a shoplifting incident in China in which he was arrested and jailed. He officially joined Vytautas with his brother LaMelo Ball in January when they both signed one-year contracts.
According to Yahoo Sports, Ball is leading the league in Lithuania with an average of 15.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He's also shooting 45 percent from 3-point range during nine first-division Lithuanian league games.
The league in Lithuania, however, is very different from the NBA, and many have doubts about whether or not Ball will be able to measure up. There's a good chance Ball might not even get drafted by an NBA team. But LaVar will, no doubt, push for the Lakers to find a way to add him to their team. He has been adamant about trying to land all three of his sons on the Lakers in the coming years.
Scroll down to see some of the early reactions to LiAngelo making the decision to jump to the NBA.