(Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
Okay, just hear me out.
At first, my reaction was just like yours: “LaVar Ball — what an asshole.” And this doesn’t change anything, LaVar Ball is still undoubtedly an asshole. But that doesn’t mean he’s an idiot, as it could be argued he’s somewhat of a marketing genius (Big Baller Brand has received what would equate to $13.2 million in advertisements while President Trump feuded with Ball). And this league, dubbed the Junior Basketball Association is … kind of a good idea.
According to ESPN, the league will be for nationally ranked players who have graduated from high school but don’t want to go the traditional route of going to college.
The Junior Basketball Association, which Ball said is fully funded by Big Baller Brand, plans to pay the lowest-ranked player a salary of $3,000 a month and the best player $10,000 a month. And $10,000 dollars a month, in any walk of life, especially as an 18-year-old kid, is quite the paycheck. Ball is reportedly looking for 80 players to roster 10 teams that will be looking to play NBA arenas in major cities such as Los Angeles, Dallas, New York and Atlanta.
Ball thinks it will be “easy” to attract players, saying “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.”
Ball said the rules of his league will follow NBA rules such as 12-minute quarters and a pro 3-point line.
The players, of course, will be wearing Big Baller Brand gear, including BBB shoes and a BBB-branded uniform.
The logo, also of course, is a silhouette of his son Lonzo going up for a dunk. Why? “We don’t need a logo of a guy dribbling. Nobody does that anymore,” Ball said.
Junior Basketball Association
