Before his junior season, a coaching dispute prompted him to leave Chino Hills and sign with Lithuanian professional team Prienai.
In 2018, he played in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created by his father, before returning to high school as a senior with SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio.
[4] In 2013, while in seventh grade, Ball began playing with his brothers on Big Ballers VXT, a 17-and-under Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team launched and coached by his parents.
[8] On March 5, 2016, he scored 26 points in a win over Sierra Canyon School for the CIF Southern Section Open Division title.
[9] Later in the month, Ball helped his team capture the CIF Open Division state championship, recording 14 points in the title game against De La Salle High School.
[10] Ball averaged 16.4 points and 3.8 assists per game and shared MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year honors with his teammate, Onyeka Okongwu.
[20] Ball finished the season averaging 26.7 points and almost 10 assists per game, earning MaxPreps Sophomore All-American first team recognition.
[22] On October 2, 2017, before his junior season, Ball left Chino Hills to be homeschooled because his father disapproved of newly appointed head coach Dennis Latimore and school administration.
[30][31] SPIRE competed outside the jurisdiction of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, allowing Ball to play without concerns over his amateur status.
[32] A number of prominent high school teams canceled their match-ups with SPIRE because Ball's professional experience would threaten their eligibility under their state federations.
[32] Despite questions surrounding his eligibility, which discouraged major NCAA Division I programs from recruiting him, he expressed interest in playing college basketball upon his return to high school in November 2018.
[53][54] Prienai withdrew from the Baltic Basketball League upon their arrival and took part in various exhibition games sponsored by Big Baller Brand.
"[63][64] In his debut on June 21, he posted a triple-double of 40 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals, shooting 15-of-40 from the field, in a 134–124 win over the New York Ballers.
[69] On October 31, in an exhibition game versus Dzūkija on the tour, he was ejected after slapping an opposing player in the face during a scuffle.
[30] On June 17, 2019, Ball signed a two-year contract, including NBA out clauses, with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian-based National Basketball League (NBL).
[74] For the NBL season, he moved to Australia with his former SPIRE Institute coach Jermaine Jackson, who became his manager and helped him acclimate.
[75] On October 6, in his first regular season game, Ball tallied 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on 6-of-17 shooting in a loss to the Brisbane Bullets.
[78] In his next game, Ball posted another triple-double with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists but was held to 10-of-28 shooting in a loss to the New Zealand Breakers.
[88] Ball made his debut on December 23, 2020, going scoreless along with one rebound, three assists and two steals in 16 minutes in a 121–114 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
[90] On January 9, at the age of 19 years old and 140 days, he became the youngest player in NBA history with a triple-double, putting up 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a 113–105 win against the Atlanta Hawks, a record that would later be broken by Josh Giddey.
[93] For his performance in December and January, Ball was awarded with Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month after averaging 12.2 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals over his first 21 games in the NBA.
[95] On February 5, Ball recorded a then career-high 34 points, along with eight assists, four rebounds, two steals and one block in a 138–121 loss to the Utah Jazz.
[97] On March 21, Ball suffered a fractured bone in his right wrist in a loss against the Los Angeles Clippers and was listed as out indefinitely.
[103][104] In the Hornets' 2021–22 season opener, Ball matched his career-high seven three-pointers, while putting up 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a 123–122 win over the Indiana Pacers.
[116] On October 23, 2024, in the Hornets' season-opening game, Ball put up 34 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists in a 110–105 win over the Houston Rockets.
[122] In 2017, LaVar became a popular but polarizing sports media personality, primarily for making outlandish remarks about the careers of himself and his sons.
[124] Since his freshman season in high school, Ball has drawn the attention of national sports outlets and established a large social media following.
[127][128][129] On June 26, 2017, Ball appeared on a segment of WWE Raw with members of his family, during which he told his father, "Beat that nigga ass!
[138] In November 2024, Ball was fined $100,000 by the NBA after he used the phrase "no homo" in a post-game interview after the Hornets' 115-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.