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30-422: 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

60-550: A job and their brief $ 3,000 per month income removed their eligibility for NCAA basketball scholarships. On December 20, 2017, SLAM magazine had first reported on the formation of the Junior Basketball Association after being sent a statement from LaVar Ball , the chief executive officer (CEO) of Big Baller Brand and father to Chicago Bulls player Lonzo Ball and his brothers, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball . According to Ball, his decision to launch

90-580: 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

120-564: A record 27 covers. "A Basketball On Fire" was the first Slam magazine cover without a player, in February 2012, addressing the 2011 NBA lockout . In 2006, readers voted the cover for issue 32, featuring Allen Iverson in March 1999, as SLAM 's best cover from its first hundred issues. Then- editor in chief Tony Gervino commented that the cover "defined" SLAM 's hip-hop identity and added that, while covers featuring Michael Jordan sold

150-596: A reward from the league. Following an eight-team playoffs tournament, which concluded in August, the league scheduled a 28-game international tour from September to December 2018 in which its top players would face several European and Asian professional teams. Through the 2018 season, the JBA aired games through Facebook Live with Allen Bell from the "AB the HERO" YouTube channel and Brandon Williams from " Fresh Sports Talk " as

180-429: A third; by 1998, the magazine was published eight times per year. Slam ' s ownership has changed several times. Petersen Publishing bought Slam in 1998. The next year, Petersen was acquired by British publisher EMAP . In 2001, EMAP sold its U.S. division to Primedia . When Primedia left the magazine business in 2007, Source Interlink acquired a majority of the company, including Slam, in August 2017. Slam

210-436: Is now available to international (non-U.S.) NBA fans, with special editions printed in some territories (see below), and the addition of Slam to digital stores, such as iTunes (the remoteness/distance from the U.S. of the subscriber has become a recurring theme in the letters section). In 2004, Washington Post columnist Mike Wise observed that " counterculture heroes have emerged from SLAM magazine's pages." During

240-734: The Philadelphia Daily News reported, roughly a third of Slam 's ads were for sneakers . Slam has published over 200 issues in its history, and has featured the biggest names in basketball on its cover, in articles, and on its famous SLAMups posters. The first woman to appear on the Slam cover was Chamique Holdsclaw in October 1998, followed by Maya Moore for the September/October 2018 issue, and then several more WNBA stars. LeBron James has appeared on

270-525: The USA Today website For the Win. The website also labeled JBA ticket sales as "comically abysmal," with over 90 percent of seats still being available less than three weeks before the season opener. The New York Post wrote, "In what should come a surprise to no one, LaVar Ball is struggling to find an audience with his newly launched Junior Basketball Association." On August 16, 2018, Brandon Phillips, who

300-460: The 2018 JBA season , LaMelo's older brother LiAngelo Ball joined the league after previously stating that he would not participate. The league's website was inactive for some time, however, the website has since relaunched but only sells JBA merchandise. The league has not made any official announcements of future seasons or if it has folded completely. The 2018 JBA season consisted of eight teams, with each representing an American city and having

330-703: The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). They won the championship for the league's only 2018 season . 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

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360-407: 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. On August 16, 2018, after

390-402: The JBA season, former Los Angeles player Brandon Phillips alleged that the league only paid him one-third of what was promised. Phillips, who was cut in the middle of the season to make way for LiAngelo Ball, also claimed that he had to pay bag fees on flights during the season and that the JBA had stopped contacting him. However, Phillips later clarified that his grievances weren't aimed towards

420-473: The JBA's collapse. Slam (magazine) Slam (stylized in all caps ) is an American basketball magazine in circulation since 1994. Slam was launched in 1994 as a basketball magazine that combined the sport with hip hop culture at a time when the genre was becoming increasingly popular. Launching as a quarterly with an initial circulation of 125,000, it was founded by publisher Dennis Page at Harris Publications , and he hired Cory Johnson to be

450-610: The JBA's founder, suggested that he would have preferred the JBA over college basketball had that option been around at the time. During the 2018 JBA season, multiple NBA players commented on the league, including CJ McCollum and Metta World Peace . In addition, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks attended a JBA game in Las Vegas . JBA tickets, which cost $ 99 for courtside seats, $ 59 for center court, and $ 40 for above center court, were criticized as "unreasonably expensive" by

480-405: The best, "Iverson was the heart of the magazine." Known for its success in the newsstand marketplace, Slam 's circulation had risen to 192,889 by late 1997, and then up to 201,179 in early 2000. Circulation then elevated to 227,000 by 2002 and 235,000 in 2003 (at which point it was printed nine times per year). The magazine was printed on a monthly basis as of November 2006. The magazine

510-457: The broadcasters for each game. Shortly after JBA was announced in December 2017, Mike Golic of ESPN was among those who expressed doubts about the league's future. The Niagara Gazette considered the league as "ambitious, but not original." On the other hand, The Root considered Ball's idea "genius," and Salon believed that the JBA could "force NCAA reform." Lonzo Ball , son of

540-582: The first Editor in Chief. Its first issue had a cover story on Larry Johnson of the Charlotte Hornets (written by future Fortune editor Andrew Serwer ) and a feature on then- Cal freshman Jason Kidd . Many of the magazine's lasting features, such as In Your Face, Slam-a-da-month, and Last Shot all began with that first issue. From 1996 to 1997, Slam 's total annual-unit sales rose 25 percent, with advertising revenue increasing by more than

570-524: The league was prompted by comments from Mark Emmert , president of the NCAA. Earlier in the month, Emmert had remarked on LiAngelo's departure from UCLA following a shoplifting arrest in China: "Is this a part of someone being part of your university as a student-athlete or is it about using college athletics to prepare yourself to be a pro? If it's the latter, you shouldn't be there in the first place." The JBA

600-412: The league. In its inaugural tryouts, the JBA most notably signed Greg Floyd Jr. , a four-star recruit from Las Vegas , and Kezo Brown , a Chicago native and former three-star point guard for Simeon Career Academy . The founder's youngest son LaMelo, a former five-star recruit with professional experience, also joined, being labeled by the league as its "marquee player." Near the halfway mark of

630-465: The mid-to-late 1990s into the 2000s, SLAM was often regarded by advertising executives and media members as avant-garde for its approaches at the time of publishing player-written pieces and an extensive letters-to-the-editor section which spanned several pages, each of which provided ample voice to the NBPA and common fans . For example, in reference to Craig Hodges , author Dave Zirin reflected in

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660-573: The nickname "Ballers." Teams did not occupy a specified home arena; instead, every team faced each other in ten different arenas across the United States. The JBA was made up of eight teams, with up to 10 players on each roster. The league only allowed players between the ages of 16 and 21 and accepts graduating seniors or students working towards a General Educational Development (GED), with rare exceptions being included. All teams featured players primarily handpicked from tryouts held before

690-533: The only other players from this league to reach as far as the NBA G League , the official development league of the NBA. Former Dallas Ballers player Nyang Wek would also currently be the only player from this league to represent a national team as well, with him representing South Sudan. Outside of them, very few players from the JBA would see international play elsewhere, let alone continue their basketball careers following

720-594: The public. Following the end of the JBA, former Los Angeles Ballers player LaMelo Ball would be the only prospect from the JBA to have ever been drafted into the NBA , being taken as the third overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft (though representing the Illawarra Hawks in Australia following the JBA's collapse) and being selected as an All-Star in 2022. Former Los Angeles Ballers player LiAngelo Ball and Houston Ballers player Curtis Hollis would also be

750-488: The season. According to the league, players who fail to play professional basketball would be able to work for Big Baller Brand . The 2018 JBA season included an All-Star Game, playoffs, and finals. The regular season included eight games per team, with games taking place in venues across the United States. The champions of the inaugural season, the Los Angeles Ballers , were given Cadillac ATS vehicles as

780-621: The title's 100th issue that if SLAM had existed in years prior, "a player of politics and protest could've outrun purgatory. This is why SLAM is the most important print magazine of my lifetime." Los Angeles Ballers The Los Angeles Ballers were a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California . The team competed in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created for high school and junior college players as an alternative to

810-457: Was cut by the Los Angeles Ballers in the middle of the season to make way for LiAngelo Ball , alleged that he was only paid one-third of his promised salary while having to pay for travel costs. He later expressed regret for giving up his college basketball eligibility for a single paycheck of $ 1,000. Although the players were promised the proceeds of 60% of their jersey sales, no retail versions of JBA jerseys were ever produced or put on sale to

840-410: Was established as an alternative route for top amateur players to play professionally without having to compete at the college level for no money. During the 2018 season , each player was promised $ 3,000 per month, and 60 percent of their jersey sales, in addition to other endorsement deals. The JBA was fully funded by Big Baller Brand, and players were required to wear the brand's merchandise. The league

870-646: Was expected to pay for travel, food, and lodging expenses, although the source of its finances was not disclosed. Its official logo features LaVar Ball's son Lonzo. On February 2, 2018, it was revealed that the JBA had directly messaged about 80 blue-chip high school basketball players through Twitter about potentially joining its league, with a vast majority declining the offer and none of them ultimately accepting. The league appointed former National Basketball Association (NBA) players Ed O'Bannon and Earl Watson , along with Lonzo Ball, to its advisory board and selection committee for choosing players who will compete in

900-471: Was then acquired by an investment group led by Dennis Page (Founder and Publisher) and David Schnur (Executive Publisher). The new holding company is Slam Media Inc. based in New York City . The magazine carries advertising for basketball-related products, street-wear clothing and hip hop music , and has been credited with helping to market hip-hop culture and basketball as one. As of November 1997,

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