Ball verbally committed to play college basketball for UCLA at age 13, before starting high school,[37][38] becoming the third of his brothers to commit to the school.[37] Ball, who was also recruited by Virginia and Washington State at the time, said that UCLA was his "dream school."[39] He emerged as a top recruit in the 2019 class during his sophomore season in high school.[40] Most recruiting services considered him a five-star recruit and one of the top point guards in his class.[41][42] When Ball returned to high school after a professional stint in 2018, he remained a five-star recruit.[43]