Now that LaMelo Ball is finished with high school basketball for now, and Lonzo Ball has been shut down for the remainder of the season, LaVar Ball can shift his attention to the league he started last season: the Junior Basketball Association (JBA).
The JBA got its start in the United States with eight teams and then expanded overseas in the fall with the JBA USA World Tour. While the national league was entertaining, LaVar believes the league was at its best when they took it outside of U.S. borders (via “Ball In the Family” Facebook Q&A):
I think when we went overseas for the JBA USA. (It was) kind of one of the best trips on the fact guys got to see some different cultures and learn some different things. You get to see all these hardcore basketball players with their eyes wide open like ‘Wow.’ It was good to see them change and enjoy things like that.
The experiences the players had on the court were beneficial to them as well.
The players in the JBA are technically professionals, but a majority of the players are low-ranked or unranked high school prospects. Through the world tour, the JBA players were able to go up against more mature professional basketball players.
Going forward, the league is expected to adopt the international format for the entirety of the season. There is currently no set date for the start of the second JBA season, but all signs point to is resuming this summer.
