While the club had already confirmed his departure amid unflattering reports, LaMelo Ball added his own confirmation via his Instagram on Wednesday.
On Tuesday morning, Illawarra confirmed that Ball had left the club to return to America and further continue his preparations for the upcoming NBA Draft. On Wednesday morning, though, reports began to surface that Ball and his camp left the club without warning as both teammate Todd Blanchfield and owner Simon Stratford admitted surprise at Ball’s departure.
Wednesday evening, Ball posted a thank you message to the fans and club and, unsurprisingly, did not address the reports of his departure from Illawarra. Ball did thank general manager Matt Campbell, head coach Matt Flinn and the fans in his post.
Ball is expected to finish rehab after his foot injury in the coming weeks. With the NBA Draft not until June 25 and workouts for team unlike to start for multiple months, Ball will have many weeks to reach full health. The extended timeline adds to the questions as to why Ball left Australia early and particularly why the potential abrupt departure.
