BREAKING: LaVar Ball Launches League That Will Pay Top HS Prospects Up to $10K Per Month & Serve As An Alternative to College pic.twitter.com/EpKfkPrSas
— Big Baller Brand (@bigballerbrand) December 20, 2017
LaVar Ball is disrupting the sports industry once again with his own basketball league. The Big Baller Brand founder announced Wednesday, Dec. 20 that the Junior Basketball Association is seeking nationally ranked high school ballers who don’t want to go the NCAA route. The association does not pay athletes to play at the college level.
“Getting these players is going to be easy,” Ball told ESPN. “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.”
But Ball, whose sons LiAngelo and LaMelo won’t be in the new league, admitted he does not have any players as of yet. Nor does he have a venue or set ticket prices for games. Yet, he said a remark from NCAA president Mark Emmert inspired him to launch the JBA, which is sponsored by BBB.
“Is this about someone being part of a university and playing basketball or any other sport with that school’s jersey on, representing that institution, or is it about preparing me for my career, my professional career as a ballplayer?” Emmert told SportsBusiness Journal in response to Ball pulling son LiAngelo Ball from UCLA following his suspension for stealing in China. “If it’s the latter, you can do that inside a university and that might be a really good way to go. But if you don’t want to and you don’t think that it’s right for your family, then don’t come.”
Ball acknowledged Emmert was right.
“Those kids who are one-and-done, they shouldn’t be there with the NCAA trying to hold them hostage, not allowing them to keep the jersey they wear while selling replicas of them in stores,” he told ESPN. “So our guy isn’t going to go to Florida State for a year. He’s going to come to our league.”
The JBA, which has a logo of Ball’s Los Angeles Lakers son dunking (“We don’t need a logo of a guy dribbling,” the outspoken basketball dad said. “Nobody does that anymore)”, will follow NBA rules. It’ll also pay players a range of salary of $3,000 a month to $10,000 a month depending on the players’ skills. The 10 teams, which will be comprised of 80 players in total, will play at NBA arenas in Atlanta, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Dallas.
More LaVar Ball News
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Ball Brothers Sign with Lithuanian Club After LiAngelo Withdrew from UCLA
LaVar Ball: Crazy or a Genius? LaMelo and LiAngelo Get Agent to Play Overseas
Online, folks have been applauding Ball’s disruption of the NCAA, which has been criticized for not paying athletes and prohibiting them from profiting from their likeness, among other things.
Not saying this is going to happen over night but I can see this being a thing in the next 2-3 years IF the one and done rule isn’t amended
— neil. (@34odd) December 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/JoeyLangone/status/943570660722343938
Shout out to Lavar Ball for creating the JBA, so that high school and college players won't continue to get exploited by playing for free, while colleges rake in billions from their talents ✊🏿🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/pTfmj3dJha
— Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqnasheed) December 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/big_business_/status/943568798241587200
Others weren’t on board with the idea (or had no faith in him).
YES! Let’s promote NOT getting a higher education. So many of these youngsters ready to go straight to the league. Gotta love this mindset from LaVar Jenner.
— Nick Gonzalez (@nickg1421) December 20, 2017
So That means Black Young Men Won’t go to college & Get Degree’s So If Thier career Dosent pan out they Hav a Back Up Plan.
— Tribe of Judah (@TrayTRAY312) December 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/mikelikessports/status/943578057553559552
However, most backed up the move and pointed out the fury the heads of the NCAA must be feeling.
Say what u want about LaVar Ball but that league he is talking about creating is damn near genius
— Ross Douglas (@RossDoug21) December 20, 2017
I pray for Lavar Ball because they are gonna be coming after him and his family even harder once he pulls this off
— Davina (@VinaRenee43) December 20, 2017
Protect Lavar Ball at all cost because the NCAA ain’t gone like this AT ALL!!
— Vic. (@Vickyy_Sports) December 20, 2017
Lavar Ball got everyone at the NCAA headquarters like… pic.twitter.com/SdQDHNhC3k
— Dibiase_ca and 10K others (@Dibiase_ca) December 20, 2017
