Los Angeles Ballers

Lore & Background

The JBA was first announced on December 20, 2017, when media personality LaVar Ball said to Slam magazine that he would create a professional league targeted at high school graduates and fully funded by his sports apparel company Big Baller Brand. The league held tryouts in Irvine, California in April 2018, attracting about 25 prospects, and having already handpicked a nearly completed roster of 7 members for the Los Angeles Ballers. One significant addition to the Ballers was Greg Floyd Jr., a four-star recruit out of Las Vegas who had spent a season at Antelope Valley College due to NCAA eligibility issues. In May, the team added LaMelo Ball, who did not graduate from high school, the youngest son of the league's founder LaVar and a former five-star recruit with limited professional experience, who the JBA labeled as its 'marquee player' for the debut season. Their head coach, Doyle Balthazer, previously played alongside LaVar at West Los Angeles College. On July 9, 2018, LiAngelo Ball announced that he would play for the team, after going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft. The Ballers won the remainder of their games and claimed the JBA title for the 2018 season.

Reader's Guide

The Los Angeles Ballers represent a brief but notable experiment in alternative basketball pathways outside the NCAA. As the flagship team of the JBA, they were directly tied to LaVar Ball's vision of providing professional opportunities for high school and junior college players. Their championship in the league's only season underscores the team's dominance within that context, though the league's short lifespan limited its broader impact. The Ballers also served as a platform for LaMelo Ball and LiAngelo Ball to gain professional experience before later entering the NBA. However, the team's legacy is complicated by post-season allegations from former player Brandon Phillips, who claimed he was underpaid and faced financial irregularities. These claims, directed at LaVar Ball's business partner rather than Ball himself, highlight the operational challenges of the JBA. Overall, the Los Angeles Ballers remain a footnote in basketball history, emblematic of a disruptive but fleeting attempt to challenge the NCAA's dominance.

Did You Know?

• The Los Angeles Ballers won the JBA championship in the league's only 2018 season.
• LaMelo Ball, the youngest son of league founder LaVar Ball, was labeled the JBA's 'marquee player' for the debut season.
• Former player Brandon Phillips alleged he was paid only one-third of what was promised and had to pay bag fees on flights.
• Head coach Doyle Balthazer previously played alongside LaVar Ball at West Los Angeles College.

Founding Vision & League Structure

The Los Angeles Ballers emerged from a bold declaration made in the winter of 2017. On December 20, media personality LaVar Ball sat down with Slam magazine and announced his intention to launch a professional basketball league specifically designed for high school graduates and junior college athletes. The Junior Basketball Association, as it was named, positioned itself as a direct alternative to the NCAA pathway, offering players a professional stage without the traditional college route. The entire venture was bankrolled by Big Baller Brand, LaVar's own sports apparel company, which served as the league's sole financial backbone. The Los Angeles Ballers became the flagship franchise, rooted in the city of Los Angeles, California, and tasked with headlining what would ultimately be the JBA's single and only competitive season. The league's creation signaled an attempt to carve out a new professional corridor for young athletes who might otherwise be locked out of the NBA pipeline by collegiate eligibility rules.

Assembling the Roster

Building the Ballers' lineup was a process that blended open competition with insider connections. In April 2018, the JBA hosted tryouts in Irvine, California, drawing roughly twenty-five prospects to the court. However, the Los Angeles squad had already secured nearly seven players through handpicking before those sessions even began. One notable acquisition was Greg Floyd Jr., a four-star recruit originally from Las Vegas who had spent a year at Antelope Valley College after running into NCAA eligibility complications. The roster took a dramatic turn in May when LaMelo Ball joined the team. The youngest son of league founder LaVar, LaMelo had not completed his high school education and carried the label of a former five-star recruit with only limited professional experience. The JBA officially designated him the league's marquee player for its inaugural campaign. The bench was further strengthened when LiAngelo Ball, who had gone undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, announced his commitment on July 9. Guiding the group on the sideline was head coach Doyle Balthazer, a former teammate of LaVar's from their days at West Los Angeles College.

A Championship Written in One Season

The Los Angeles Ballers' competitive story, while brief, ended on a high note. After assembling their roster through the spring and summer of 2018, the team entered the JBA's sole season with momentum that carried them all the way to the title. The Ballers won out the remainder of their schedule, securing the league championship for the 2018 campaign. Because the Junior Basketball Association operated for only that single year, the Ballers' title stands as both the league's first and final championship, a distinction that lends their achievement an unusual permanence. There was no subsequent season to dilute the accomplishment, no later title to overshadow it. The fact that the team delivered a championship in the league's one and only year of existence gave the franchise a clean, definitive narrative arc: they arrived, they competed, and they won. For a team built around a mix of handpicked veterans, a star recruit navigating eligibility issues, and the Ball family's youngest two sons finding their footing in professional basketball, that single championship represented the culmination of a very particular and very short window of opportunity.

Postseason Fallout & Financial Disputes

The Ballers' championship celebration was quickly complicated by a public dispute that surfaced in mid-August 2018. On August 16, former player Brandon Phillips stepped forward with serious allegations about the league's financial practices. Phillips claimed he received only one-third of the compensation he had been promised, and that he was forced to cover his own baggage fees on flights during the season. His situation was further complicated by the fact that he had been released mid-season to clear a roster spot for LiAngelo Ball's arrival. Phillips also noted that the JBA had ceased all communication with him after his departure. However, he later offered an important clarification: his frustrations were directed not at LaVar Ball, the league's founder, but at Alan Foster, described as both a business partner and a friend of LaVar's. This distinction mattered in the broader context of the Ball family's public image, as it separated the operational mismanagement from the founder's personal reputation. The incident cast a shadow over the team's championship and raised questions about the league's internal management structures.