Bal was born on 18 December 2003, and grew up in Le Mans, France.[1] He played basketball for the third-tier Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball (CFBB) team in Paris, averaging 9.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists while playing 27 minutes per game in the 2020–21 season.[2] He was ranked one of the top European college basketball prospects and committed to play for the Arizona Wildcats.[3][4]
College career
As a freshman at Arizona in the 2021–22 season, Bal played 23 games and averaged 4.5 minutes per game, scoring 34 total points with 1.5 per game.[5] The following season, he played 26 games and averaged 2.5 points and shot 35.4% in 3-point range.[6] After having played just 104 minutes as a freshman and 214 as a sophomore, Bal entered the NCAA transfer portal in 2023.[7][8]
Bal was a member of the France national under-16 basketball team and competed at the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship, where he averaged 6.0 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.0 assist in seven games while helping France win second place.[5][11] He has also been a member of the national under-20 team, playing for them at the 2022 FIBA U20 European Championship.[12][13]