From high school scoring machine to hip hop: the pivot of LiAngelo Ball
In short: Once a consensus three-star recruit destined for UCLA, LiAngelo Ball’s basketball journey took a dramatic turn following a 2017 arrest in China. After stints in Lithuania and the JBA, the former professional athlete has traded the court for the studio, securing a massive multi-million dollar record deal.
LiAngelo Ball’s basketball career was defined by prolific scoring and significant disruption. During his junior year at Chino Hills High School, he averaged 27.4 points per game, helping the team achieve a 35–0 record and a mythical national championship. His scoring prowess reached extraordinary heights in late 2017, when he recorded a career-high 72 points in a single game against Rancho Christian School.
However, his trajectory shifted abruptly in November 2017. While in Hangzhou, China, Ball and two teammates were arrested for allegedly stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store. This incident led to an indefinite suspension from the UCLA basketball program, prompting him to withdraw from the university and instead sign with the Lithuanian team Vytautas Prienai in December 2017.
Following his time in Europe and a stint in his father LaVar Ball's Junior Basketball Association (JBA), where he was named Finals MVP, Ball's professional basketball career saw various brief tenures with the Detroit Pistons, the Charlotte Hornets, and the Greensboro Swarm. After playing in Mexico for the Astros de Jalisco in early 2024, he officially retired from basketball in August 2025.
Today, Ball has reinvented himself as a rapper under the stage name GELO. His 2025 debut single, "Tweaker," achieved viral success and reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. This musical pivot was solidified by a major deal with Def Jam Recordings, reported by ESPN to be worth up to $13 million, with $8 million guaranteed.
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