LaVar Ball has announced that he will launch the Junior Basketball Association, a professional league for nationally ranked players who have graduated from high school but do not want to go to college (via Darren Rovell of ESPN.com).
Per Ball, the league will be funded by the Big Baller Brand and it plans to pay players between $3-10K per month, depending on their rank. The league is looking to fill 10 teams, each with eight players, in the hopes that games will be played in NBA arenas in Los Angeles, Dallas, Brooklyn, and Atlanta.
“Getting these players is going to be easy,” Ball said. “This is giving guys a chance to get a jump start on their career, to be seen by pro scouts, and we’re going to pay them because someone has to pay these kids.”
As Rovell details, the league won’t include LiAngelo Ball or LaMelo Ball, as the brothers have each signed on to play in Lithuania. As for the league’s logo, it will be slightly different than the NBA’s, which features Jerry West pounding the rock.
“We don’t need a logo of a guy dribbling,” the elder Ball said. “Nobody does that anymore.”
The JBA plans to use a silhouette of Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball raising up for a dunk as its logo and its players and coaches will wear BBB-branded products.
Am I the only person who realizes that Lavar is unintentionally a genius?
This headline made me laugh but I actually think it’s a good idea.
I agree, it’s genius. That’s assuming though he get can get the funding to start it. If he can I think it’ll be pretty popular and give kids another option to get paid for playing instead of overseas.
Call me SHOCKED!! I thought I was going to read this article, and die laughing what a joke it was, but it was logical, made sense, and was actually a great idea!! ….
Lavar Ball making sense!?!..Lavar Ball with an awesome idea!?!…As Lombardi once said, “What the hell is going on here?” lol…
Yes
Lame!!!! Lol this guy can’t stay out of the news
I’m waiting for LaVar to be dating Kris Jenner and his sons to be dating Kardashian/Jenner kids lol
The league sounds brilliant…
Until you realize that the NBA is about to end the ban on high school kids entering the draft.
How awesome would it be if the NBA announced that they’re allowing HS kids on the opening night of LaVar’s new league? Sounds popcorn worthy to me…
He should do it for the NFL honestly.
The NBA wants to require kids to go to college 2 years now. The commissioner and owners are in agreement. LaVar is stupid. He wants to take over kids getting an education, the NCAA, the NBA and G League, pulled LaMello’s AAU team off the court when he didn’t like a call from a female referee, and even took on President Trump. He’s a moron!
I hope Lavar never goes away basketball is a lot more fun with him.
Guys a menace to society.
The idea isn’t bad but good luck getting NBA teams to rent out their arenas. Even if teams do rent out their arena, I don’t see how the league will generate enough money to pay its players, pay for travel expenses, pay rent to use the arenas, and any other expenses. Sure, some of it will come from ticket and merchandise sales, but the Big Baller Brand isn’t that successful yet to fund this on its own, and I don’t see many big name, big money companies signing on to sponsor this right away. Especially if the league is going to make its players/coaches essentially rep BBB gear, the big sports companies (Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, etc) aren’t going to be to keen on helping front some of the expenses if their gear isn’t going to be represented.
I work in the live music industry, and I can say that if you don’t own the arena you’re playing in, you better be booking Paul McCartney if you hope to recoup the cost of renting the place. Can’t imagine it’s much different in sports… a thousand paid admissions won’t cut it, profit wise.
If you think the Louisville scandal was bad wait until a number of high ranking high school seniors are banned from their senior season because Lavar and his minions made illegal contact to get players for this league. If a player is potentially good enough to play in the NBA, why not just open 1-2 spots for them in the G League rather than raping the system of 80 players for this farce?
Silly question, but what does Ball get out of this if it happens? Beyond publicity, I mean. I doubt he’s doing it out of the goodness of his heart. Is there going to be tv revenue going into his brand’s (i.e. His) pocket? Is he going to act as these kids’ agent or maybe have them kick him some percentage of their first NBA contracts like those human smugglers tried to do with international players in MLB?
I’m sure he wants it to overtake NCAA basketball, so he’s seeing dollar signs rn
I hope Magic hooks him up with Isaiah to run league.
Like the NBA had to bail out the NBDL when Isaiah ran it!
Magic just had a meeting about Lonzo with LaVar and surprisingly LaVar wouldn’t listen. I don’t think Magic is open to doing business with him.
Pretty sure the guy was being sarcastic..lol
Nothing about LaVar is funny! As Charles Barkley truthfully said LaVar is the worsst dad in the world. He is exploiting his kids. And he’s being honest!
He should ask Donald Trump to be an investor LOL
Very similar people. Dozens of cringe worthy statements followed by an occasionally good idea.
like it or not, u cant say that lavar isnt brilliant.
Yeah, I can. He’s not brilliant.
Second that!
LaVar can’t stand people controlling him. Can’t stand Luke Walton controlling Lonzo. Couldn’t stand Steve Alford and UCLA controlling LiAngelo. Can’t stand LaMelo’s high school coach controlling how many shots he takes. Can’t stand the NBA and G League controlling the age limit for players coming in. Problem with this is nobody will let LaVar in their arena or do business with him!
Why would an NBA owner want to cooperate with LaVar when he’s against everything the owners are fighting for!!
can he use his sons image if he’s in a different league?
Who will he blame when it fails?
Probably everyone else but him…lol
I honestly can’t believe I’m saying anything that was born in the brain of the walking diva that is Lavar Ball is a good idea….But it really is
I just wish someone else was running it or thought of it…lol Solely, so I wouldn’t be agreeing with Lavar Ball…
He’s a moron, he’s an attention diva, he is the definition of an narcissistic bafoon, BUT this is a great idea…And it truly kills me to say that..lol
For real!
“How hard could running a basketball league possibly be?”
–Isiah Thomas
This dude is ruining lonzo’s life and making it just as tough for his younger ones
Not sure who will find him as a good option to further their career… but I don’t see it
Logo will probably be his own mug smiling at a basketball the size of his inflated ego.
Do they even make basketballs that big??
I have always wanted to see top HS players allowed to go NCAA a year or two early, restricted to colleges that the kids could commute to from their homes. Then 2 years of college for the NBA would be a reasonable expectation. All these high performers learn their senior years in HS is bad habits.
One way or another, the current system is a bit rickety.
With salaries of $3-10 thousand Ball’s plan could work. And with his sons in limbo, Ball is motivated. If it works though, better-funded competitors, or the NBA, will take the market over in time. Or sooner.
Seriously you know this won’t even get off the ground. It’s all about LaVar wanting to get LiAngelo and LaMelo into the NBA. He won’t stop until he’s utililized any resource he can think of, and they still don’t get into the NBA.
This guy is all about LaVar. Bottomline. Only reason he wants LaMelo in NBA is so he can mooch off him like he does Lonzo to keep his shoe business going.
Nobody dribbles anymore? Not only is that not true, but that attitude is what is ruining basketball. Fundamentals are far more important than dunking. Dunking might get you on a poster or on Sportscenter, but fundamentals win titles. But then again it seems all Lavar cares about is notoriety, so maybe it works for him.
I think Ice Cube and Allen Iverson want in on this….
Chances are, more will miss out on earning a college education than will ever make it in the pros. He wasn’t satisfied ruining his own kids’ lives
In other news the XFL is also making a comeback
They had good logos
Is there a need for another league? Between the D-League and European leagues seems like we already have this covered.
Just another terrible idea from the mind of a delusional narcissist.
They were kind of fun to watch. I remember He-Hate-Me.