Junior Basketball Association
The Junior Basketball Association (JBA) was an American basketball league that intended to be an alternative to the NCAA by allowing high school and junior college players to immediately play professionally. The league was first announced in December 2017 by LaVar Ball and was said to be fully funded by Ball's sports apparel company, Big Baller Brand. The JBA existed for just one season in 2018, featuring eight teams from major US cities.
| Most recent season or competition: 2018 JBA season | |
Official logo featuring Lonzo Ball | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | December 20, 2017 |
| Founder | LaVar Ball |
| First season | 2018 |
| Ceased | 2019 |
| Director | LaVar Ball |
| Commissioner | LaVar Ball |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, CA |
| Last champion(s) | Los Angeles Ballers (2018) |
| TV partner(s) | Facebook Watch |
| Sponsor(s) | Big Baller Brand |
| Official website | https://www.jbaleagueofficial.com/ |
While the league has not formally folded, no future seasons have been announced. The JBA faced criticism from within for failing to honor its contracts and pay its players and is widely seen as having been created solely as a platform for LaVar Ball's sons, disregarding the futures and livelihoods of the sixty other players in the competition. With the discontinuation of the league, former JBA players were left without a job and their brief $3,000 per month income removed their eligibility for NCAA basketball scholarships.