American Ball brothers to join Lithuanian basketball club

VILNIUS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Two American basketball players from controversially famous Ball family signed contracts with the Lithuanian basketball club Vytautas based in Prienai, the club's authorities announced on Tuesday.

"It is official: BC Vytautas has officially signed contracts with LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball for the rest of the season," the club said in a statement published on its website.

"Our club is excited for the arrival of LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball. We are committed to their long-term success and development as professional basketball players," Vilius Vaitkevicius, the team's sports director, was quoted as saying in the statement.

The 19-year-old LiAngelo and his 16-year-old brother LaMelo are expected to join the club early in January 2018. None of the two brothers has experience of professional basketball.

LiAngelo and LaMelo are the younger brothers of Los Angeles Lakers player Lonzo Ball and the sons of outspoken father and sports apparel company Big Baller Brand founder LaVar Ball.

LiAngelo Ball was expected to play at UCLA, however, withdrew from the school earlier this month following the incident in China where he was arrested with charges of shoplifting along with two teammates.

The members of Ball family are media celebrities in the US, due to their Facebook reality show Ball in the Family and Big Baller Brand which claims to have more than 1 million followers on Instagram.

Adomas Kubilius, director of BC Vytautas, noted that huge popularity on social networks of LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball, rather than expectations as regards their future sports achievements, was the main reason to invite the two players to the Lithuanian team.

"All marketing tricks are possible. We are not a rich club and these things are important to us," Kubilius told in an interview with local website vz.lt.