Career
He played with the Summerside and Island Storm from 2012 to 2014 and was named a National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) All-Star in both seasons. Ballard was also the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 game. He played college basketball at Miami University, where he represented the RedHawks.
In his childhood, Ballard moved around cities such as Louisville, Kentucky and areas in Indiana.
He said that he moved around two to three times each year. Ballard"s youngest brother, Ricky, had experience in jail as well.
Antonio himself had a gun pointed in his face. The presence of gangs limited the time Ballard could practice basketball.
Because many of them were his family members, he was allowed to shoot.
He said, "lieutenant was rough basketball—kind of like prison ball, I guess. Fights would break out and you had to hold your own, but you couldn"t take it too far or something bad would happen." In Jeffersonville, Indiana, there was an old basketball rim, where gangs such as the "Money Hungry Gangsters" would park their cars. Ballard said, "I"ve taken the good parts of my past life—and one thing you do get from a gang is having each other"s back."
Ballard did not play Amateur Athletic Union (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball because his family did not have enough money to pay for lieutenant
He solely competed at Jefferson High School.