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LaMelo Ball Sparks Bench-Clearing Brawl, Is Ejected From Game in Lithuania After Slapping Opponent

LaMelo Ball of Vytautas Prienai prior to the match between Vytautas Prienai and Zalgiris Kauno on January 9, 2018 in Prienai, Lithuania. (Credit: Alius Koroliovas/Getty Images)

LaMelo Ball sparked a benches-clearing brawl and was ejected from an international basketball game Monday in Lithuania.

Ball, 17, was playing as a member of a U.S. team made up of players from the Junior Basketball Assn., the league started by his father, LaVar Ball. As part of an international tour, the JBA USA team played an exhibition game against Alytaus Dzukija of the Lithuanian league LKL.

During the third quarter, Ball drove to the basket, missed a layup and appeared to give defender Mindaugas Susinskas a shove on his way out of bounds. Susinskas responded by giving Ball what looked to be a tap on the back of his head.

Ball didn’t like that. He slapped Susinskas in the face, then both players exchanged some shoves and a couple of blows, with multiple members of each team eventually becoming involved.

Read the full story on LATimes.com

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