How a Summer Internship Spawned the Newest Venue for NBA Hopefuls

It’s February and the Ball family’s European traveling party funnels into a private area of Bounce Cafe’s Old Street location in London. LaMelo and his maternal grandmother, Noni, spar on one of the bar’s myriad multicolored ping pong tables. Brand manager Alan Foster scrolls through emails flooded with local media requests. A FaceTime call from the boys’ agent, Harrison Gaines, pings LaVar’s phone.

The NBA raft process is around the corner, and crafting a plan for LiAngelo to hear his name called on June 21 is imperative. Maneuvering the pre-draft landscape after facing primarily second-division talent in Lithuania, though, can prove daunting. “There’s this thing called the Pro Basketball…