He also played flag football with his brothers at age five but continued to focus on basketball.[2] 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.[3] The team, which was not sponsored by a major shoe company, did not compete in top AAU circuits and instead took part in local competitions.[4]