Early Life & Family
Gelo Ball was born in Anaheim, California, the United States, to LaVar Christopher Ball and Tina Slatinsky. His father is a former football player and businessman.
LaVar is usually criticized for his parenting style and is often labeled as controlling. Besides that, he met his wife, Tina Slatinsky, in college.
Tina is a former basketball player for the Cal State Golden Eagles. She survived a severe stroke that left her with aphasia.
Moreover, the entire family stars in a Facebook reality television show called Ball in the Family.
Together the duo has three sons, namely LiAngelo, Lonzo, and LaMelo. Along with LaVar, Tina plays a significant role in their sons’ basketball careers.
LiAngelo started training and working out when he was four years old. His father trained him, alongside his brothers, from a very young age.
He played against fifth graders and his brothers when he was in kindergartner and also played flag football at 7.
As a high school student, he had an exceptional basketball career at Chino Hills High School. He played for four years with the high school team.
Later, he enrolled at California University, Los Angeles, and in his freshman year, he committed to the UCLA team.
Age, Height, And Weight
The professional basketball player, Gelo, was born in 1998, which makes him 25 years old. He shares his birthday on November 24, making his zodiac sign Scorpio.
And from what we know, the people of this sign are known for being determined, creative, empathetic, and brave.
As an athlete, Gelo takes excellent care of his health and diet. Hence, he is in great shape and very fit. He is 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 meters) tall and weighs 98 kg (215 pounds).
Other body features about Geo include braided black hair and a stunning pair of brown eyes. Not to mention, Gelo holds American nationality and belongs to the mixed (Afro-American) ethnicity.
Gelo Ball | High School & College Career
Gelo played basketball before he could even write his name. Since childhood, he wanted to be a professional basketball player. The G League shooting guard played high school basketball for Chino Hills Huskies.
He aided the Huskies to their first-ever CIF Southern Section Open Division. In his junior year, he led the Huskies to the City of Palms Classic championship with his brothers.
To sum up, he had a 35-0 record with the Chino Hills team in 2016, and MaxPreps named him the mythical national champion.
Gelo had an outstanding career in his senior season. He scored a career-high 72 points that year in a win against Rancho Christian School.
Subsequently, he gathered much-deserved attention and praise for his game. Several media outlets and newspapers named him the All-Area Player of the Year.
He was also the first-team All-State and honorable mention All-American selection by MaxPreps.
College Career And China Incident
After high school, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles. He played a few games, including pre-season games. His journey with the college didn’t last long.
UCLA conducted its 2017-18 season in Shanghai, China. During the regular-season opener, he was arrested alongside two of his teammates.
The shooting guard stole sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store in a mall near their hotel. LiAngelo would have faced serious prison time and fines.
However, he was released from custody. Nonetheless, the college suspended him as a punishment for his actions. After a good discussion with his father, the small forward decided to withdraw from UCLA.
Gelo Ball | Professional Basketball Career
Prienai And Los Angeles Ballers
Before joining the NBA G League and serving the Oklahoma City Blue, he was linked with basketball club Prienai of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He decided to prepare for the 2018 NBA draft while playing in the LKL.
Gelo’s younger brother was also playing for the club. After that, the brothers built an excellent reputation as Prienai players and participated in various games and events. Their family sports apparel company, Big Baller Brand, sponsored the boys.
Shortly after, he declared his participation in the 2018 NBA Draft. Many draft experts predicted his chances of getting drafted were slim.
While playing against an outstanding LKL team, Gelo injured his ankle and soon left the basketball club. Later, his father publicly criticized the head coach.
Furthermore, he went undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft.
Then he played for the Los Angeles Ballers in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA). LaVar was the founder of JBA, which serves as an alternative to college basketball.
LiAngelo flourished in that environment and explored his true potential. He was the co-MVP of the JBA All-Star Game.
Moreover, he won the All-Star Game MVP award and was the Finals MVP. He was also named To the JBA USA select Team (2018).
The shooting guard suffered an ankle injury, that required surgery, leading him to miss most of the 2019-20 season.
Oklahoma City Blue
The former Prienai player joined the NBA G League team Oklahoma City Blue at the end of 2019. He was with the team on a waiver claim. Ball was ready to show the world his true potential.
However, the pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 season. The Oklahoma team played a game before the cancellation, but LiAngelo did not appear in the game.
Detroit Pistons
On December 2, 2020, Gelo was signed to a training camp contract by the Detroit Pistons. However, on December 13, he was waived without playing in the December 11 pre-season game.
The American basketball player was invited by his brother LaMelo to work out with the Charlotte Hornets in the summer of 2021. After his impressive workout session with the team, he was signed by the Hornets on October 14, 2021. However, he was waived the next day.
Greensboro Swarm
The Greensboro Swarm selected LiAngelo as the 14th overall pick in the 2021 NBA G League draft on October 23, 2021. In his debut for the Swarm, he scored 22 points.
Ball signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Hornets on September 26, 2022, but was waived on October 15, 2022.
Later, on October 23, he joined the Greensboro Swarm roster for training camp.
Controversies Surrounding LaVar Ball
Gelo’s father, LaVar, has been in the limelight several times for his controversial comments and actions. Moreover, he is well-known for his feud with President Donald Trump.
When LiAngelo was arrested in China, Trump claimed he was why the boys were let out of custody. The 45th president went on to say how he didn’t even get a ‘thank you.’
LaVar, however, was in no mood to thank Donald as his claims were false. The claims resulted in a Twitter feud that was highly publicized.
The father of three has also compared his eldest son to many legendary players. He said Lonzo’s better than Magic Jhonson, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook.
LaVar even claimed his son to be the “best player in the world.” He has also stated how easily his son could beat all-time best Michael Jordan.
Besides that, LaVar has criticized the Los Angeles Lakers head coach, Luke Walton. The former football player attacked Walton for not coaching his son correctly.
His comments got so out of control that Staples Center prohibited media from talking with the team’s family. After that, many NBA coaches and players came to Luke’s support and criticized LaVar for his “stupid” comments.
The businessman has been labeled as a sexist for his poor treatment of women. He is also infamous for his rude behavior, especially towards females.
LaVar has told TV host Kristine Leahy and the female referee to “stay in your lane.” He has also been criticized for declining Lonzo’s $10 million contracts with Nike, Adidas, and Underarmor.
Moreover, LaVar pulled out his youngest son from high school to coach himself. Hence, he was called the “worst parent ever” in a USA Today article.
Relationships
For the most part, Gelo Ball lives his life in private, so it is quite difficult to find out about his love life.
Some sources claimed that the Swarm’s shooting guard is in a relationship with Nikkii Baby. The duo reportedly has been in a relationship since May of 2021.
LiAngelo was also in a relationship with Jaden Owens. Jaden is a well-known basketball player and used to play for UCLA. However, she transferred to Baylor University during her freshman season.
Gelo and Jaden initially met on Instagram. Later on, they met face-to-face at a basketball game. Owens has appeared in the Ball family’s Facebook series several times. However, Jaden and Gelo broke up.
Besides, Gelo also used to date Isabella “Izzy” Morris. They two attended the same high school, where they fell in love. Due to different schedules and priorities, the couple eventually broke up.
Net worth And lifestyle
He has an impressive net worth of around $800k as of 2023, collected from his career as a professional basketball player.
Besides that, his older brother Lonzo is worth $35 million, his younger brother LaMelo is worth $20 million, and his father LaVar has a net worth of $4 million.
LiAngelo is sponsored by his family’s clothing brand called Big Baller Brand. He also starred in his family’s Facebook reality series.
On top of that, he reportedly owns a beautiful house and a few branded cars. Not to mention, Gelo also has a Rottweiler dog of his own. His dog’s name is Cash.
Social Media Presence
LiAngelo is quite active on social media platforms. The basketball player usually shares workout and training posts. He has a good sense of fashion and is covered in tattoos.
Gelo mostly shares basketball-related news. Looking at his socials, we can sum up that he is fond of rap music from his account.
He is available on Instagram under the handle @gelo, Twitter @LiAngeloBall, and Facebook @LiAngelo Ball.
Instagram: 2.9m followers
Twitter: 33.8k followers
Facebook: 493 followers
Popularity
Having an impressive college career and playing for different G League teams, he has earned millions of fans worldwide.
The above image shows brief information about the popularity of LiAngelo Ball based on Google searches in the United States over a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gelo ball in the NBA?
No, Gelo is not in the NBA. Although he entered the 2018 NBA Draft, he wasn't picked by any teams. He has played in the Lithuanian Basketball League, Junior Basketball Association, and the NBA G League.
Is LiAngelo Ball in the G League?
Yes, he plays for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League.
Is Gelo Ball a free agent?
Gelo ball is not a free agent, as he is currently linked with the NBA G League team.
Did Geo Ball play for London Lions?
No Geo ball hasn't played for London Lions as of now. But, London Lions were interested in signing him. Geo revealed about it in one of his interviews, saying, “It seems like the London Lions might be interested in picking me up. I know I have to take different roads and different paths to get to the NBA. Sometimes, it's just tough to make that decision.”
What shoes does LiAngelo ball wear?
LiAngelo usually wears his own signature shoe, G3, which was by Big Baller Brand.
Who is LiAngelo Ball's tattoo artist?
LiAngelo Ball tattoo artist is Herchell L Carrasco.
How many tattoos does LiAngelo Ball have?
According to sources, LiAngelo ball has 69 tattoos to date.
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