Zion Williamson and LaMelo Ball Played in a Very High-Profile AAU Game

And more than 70,000 people streamed it online.

If you have ever sat to watch an entire AAU basketball game, particularly the kind that takes place in the later hours of the night, you will undoubtedly agree that it was a terrible idea in hindsight.

But the internet has changed the way we consume and care about such things, and accordingly, a head to head matchup between teenagers Zion Williamson and LaMelo Ball and their teams on Thursday mattered to a lot of people. Williamson, 17, and Ball, 15, are more social media phenomenons than basketball stars at this stage of their lives, thanks to a system that pushes out highlights regularly, highlights only the flashy parts of their games, and watches the social engagement roll in.

If that sounds dark and bleak, that’s just how this thing works. But anyway, these guys sold out a gym in Las Vegas (annually an AAU hotbed for a week each July), and here are the highlights. More than 70,000 people streamed this thing online.

Congrats, LaVar Ball, you’re now the most famous AAU coach of all time.

To loosely apply some scouting jargon: Williamson is very good at dunks and overpowering in terms of size and strength for his age. Ball is good at shooting, and shooting, and shooting from really far out (and usually missing those kind of shots). He’s also good at being the brother of Lonzo Ball.

If you’re a teenager, you probably loved this post.