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- LaMelo Ball and LiAngelo Ball will play in their first game with the Lithuanian team Prienu Vytautas on Tuesday in the first match of what has been titled the “Big Baller Brand Challenge Games.”
- Prienu Vytautas had to drop out of the Baltic Basketball League in order to make time for the games, which will allow the Ball brothers to get more playing time with the team.
- Fans will be able to watch the games through Facebook, who has worked with LaVar Ball and and his Big Baller Brand in the past.
LaMelo Ball and LiAngelo Ball will make their Lithuanian basketball debuts on Tuesday for Prienu Vytautas in what can only be described as Big Baller fashion.
Prienu Vytautas dropped out of the Baltic Basketball League — the lower of the two competitions the team plays in — this season in order to schedule the “Big Baller Brand Challenge Games.” The games are a series of friendlies against other Lithuanian teams that will allow the Ball brothers to get extra playing time without potentially affecting Prienu Vytautas’ standing in the LKL, their main league competition.
“When you come out and they change it just for the Balls,” LaVar Ball told ESPN, “you know it’s real.”
The games will be broadcast over Facebook. LaVar Ball’s reality show “Ball in the Family” aired over Facebook Watch last year, and the Big Baller Brand AAU basketball team has played in games seen by as many as 80,000 people through the social media site.
The Big Baller Brand Challenge Games will be a series of five games that will serve as a showcase for the two younger Ball brothers as they continue their strange path to try and eventually join Lonzo with the Los Angeles Lakers.While the friendlies won’t help Prienu Vytautas win any trophies, it will give the Lithuanian team more exposure than they typically receive, and will likely serve as a mutually beneficial branding opportunity for both the team and the Big Ballers.
“This is a great thing for everybody,” Ball said. “I’m excited for the fact they named something after the Big Baller Brand. Brings exposure to our brand and also gives us quality basketball. People back home get to watch it.”
The first game of the Big Baller Brand Challenge Games will tip off on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET, and fans curious to see how the Ball brothers will fare can watch through the Ball is Life Facebook page. The remaining four games will be played throughout January in between Prienu Vytautas’ regular LKL schedule. Should the Balls play well for the team in their friendlies, there’s a chance they could begin to get minutes in league play as the month goes on.
Once the Ball family has finished with the Big Baller Brand Challenge Games, we’ll likely have a better idea of what their next move will be. If LiAngelo and LaMelo succeed in Lithuania, it’s possible they choose to play out the season there. If not, they could also serve as two marquee players LaVar can use to help build and promote his Junior Basketball Association.
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