LaVar Ball announced on Wednesday that he's launching a new basketball league for nationally ranked players who have graduated from high school but don't want to go to college. The players will also get paid to play. Per ESPN...

quote:
Ball said his Junior Basketball Association -- which he said is fully funded by his 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. Ball is looking for 80 players to fill 10 teams that will seek to play at NBA arenas in Los Angeles, Dallas, Brooklyn and Atlanta.

"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."

He even has a logo for the new league...

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Purple Lion•77 months

The league logo looks like a silhouette of Bill Clinton from NBA Jam.

GivEmWatDeyWant•77 months

I can see some of the talented kids who don't have the grades for college, or want to play college ball taking advantage of this. It could possibly open doors to the NBA, but more than likely give them a shot at maybe getting noticed and recruited over seas. At the very least gives them a chance to live the dream of playing professional ball for a couple years. A lot of people knocking down this idea have to realize there are a lot of highschool basketball players and not enough scholarships for them all... this is just another opportunity to live the dream. Besides I'm pretty sure a kid with a scholarship to Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, etc... wouldn't even consider this league, I'm sure their getting more money under the table, but for the kid with no shot at a scholarship... I say why not?

OGTiger•77 months

And as soon as one of those kids get hurt and can’t play in the NBA......wel. Let’s just say LaVar will get the education he missed out on in college.

SG_Geaux•77 months

Doesn't the NBA already have developmental leagues?

VooDude•77 months

He's definitely the father.

hogminer•77 months

The youngest Ball kid looks retarded.

pellietigersaint•77 months

......and lolololol. how is BBB gonna fund this league? nobody buys those trash shoes. So he's gonna pay players, taxes, insurance, NBA arena rental, uniform suppliers, and stadium vendors off of BBB revenue? bwhahahaha. Lonzo better keep a close eye on his bank account. his bottom feeder daddy's gonna be dipping into his rookie earnings.

pellietigersaint•77 months

the piece of scum shite is cancer. lets lure kids away from college............and toss them to the side WHEN they never get to play pro ball.

Muahahaha•77 months

Real classy, dumbass!

GeauxTigersLee•77 months

Any player will be substantially more value than $3000 a month by going to college. If nothing more than free room and board, meals, transportation, stipends they are giving kids, and obviously a free education. Sacrificing your entire future for that is an epic decision fail.

Skinny•77 months

You can go back to college at any age. The logic that these kids ruin their future by going pro is stupid. The guys that don't make it professionally screw their futures by their decision to not go back and finish their degrees. Go pro if you have talent. College will always be there.

Displaced•77 months

And they will have some money to pay for it with the money they earn playing in Ball's Ball.

OceanMan•77 months

Yeah but you blow amateur status by playing pro, and wouldn't get a scholarship later in life. Isn't the NBA switching the one year rule? If so this would be a very dumb move to forgoe amateur training to go to some unknown league.

PeteRose•77 months

He should open his league in China. His players would have a lot of great defense and steals.

cra_cra•77 months

Worst Idea ever..... on so many levels

UGATiger26•77 months

I'd have to hear more details, but this sounds like a terrible way to screw up some promising young lives. Obviously, not all of these kids are going to make it to the NBA. So when they wash out, they've ruined their amateur eligibility (so a collegiate scholarship is out of the question), and they will have no marketable skills other than the ability to play basketball. At least by going to college first, they can still make an educated decision whether it's in their best interest to enter the NBA draft or stay in school.

RFK•77 months

Thanks for weighing in. Have much experience getting new sports leagues off-the-ground, do you?

Techdog89•77 months

Don't forget about injuries too. At least in college they are medically covered for care and are still eligible to return after rehab. Might have to transfer but could still play and earn a scholarship for their education. For the few "one and done" players this might be OK but the rest are being sacrificed to showcase the few and put $$$ in LaVar's pocket. Bad move for most kids.

NASA_ISS_Tiger•77 months

This honestly sounds like the equivalent to the Jr Hockey Leagues in Canada that feed the NHL Minors and to a lesser extent the NHL. The problem is...the NBA doesn't have an established minor league farm system (yes they have the NBA-D League etc, but it's nowhere near established as the NHL minors are). NBA still uses NCAA as a tryout league/feeder system. If this league wants to succeed he's gonna have to get some major backing and financial support for it to last to become a feeder system for the NBA.

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RFK•77 months

This is who we need in the WH not a faux-businessman Trump who had to get bailed out by daddy with a small loan of 10Mil...

cra_cra•77 months

Just when you thought the idiots couldn't get any bigger on the RANT.

Born in BR•77 months

Trump has created more wealth than LaVar Bell ever will!

Kt44•77 months

You sir are part of the problem he has done zero, if his son wasn't lonzo you wouldn't even know who this clown was this the same guy that sell ugly Chinese made shoes for 400 a pair he's a bigger crook than Trump ever thought about being.

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NASA_ISS_Tiger•77 months

So once they are paid....they can never play amateur sports (such as NCAA), right?

Techdog89•77 months

Yep, at least basketball for sure.

BowDownToLSU•77 months

He's got some ugly offspring

Salt Lick•77 months

smart man