LaMelo Ball’s trip to the National Basketball League and the Illawarra Hawks was as unconventional as they come. After leaving high school prior to his junior year, Ball made stops in Lithuania, returned stateside to his father’s new league, the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), then joined the standout players from that team as part of a tour across Europe before opting to once again return stateside for a year with SPIRE Institute.
The stop in the JBA was unprecedented and, for many, a move that potentially cost Ball a year of development. Clearly the most talented player in the league, Ball was unchallenged and posted gaudy numbers throughout the team’s lone season. The trip overseas did little more to push Ball before he opted to return to America.
However, according to LaMelo’s father LaVar, the JBA served a much bigger role in preparing his son for his future stop in Australia, something he talked about during a recent interview in Australia.
“I had a league called the JBA, which … I primed him to do like this. We played in different countries, against older guys, so this is nothing new when I see him get these triple-doubles now. He was doing that in my league but people was throwing that to the side ‘cause they said, ‘Oh, he’s playing for his dad. It don’t count.’”
While everything LaVar stated is true, the difference in playing second division teams in small European countries and NBL teams is drastic. It’s impressive that LaMelo is still considered a top-tier prospect despite the detour.
It’s also not a surprise to see LaVar taking credit for Ball’s success. In reality, LaMelo has exceeded in spite of LaVar’s JBA, not because of it.
