| Chicago Ballers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| League | JBA | ||
| Founded | 2018 | ||
| History | Chicago Ballers 2018 JBA season | ||
| Location | Chicago, Illinois | ||
| Team colours | Dark red, black, white | ||
| Head coach | Nicolas Colon | ||
The Chicago Ballers were a basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The team competed in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created for high school and junior college players as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
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. [1] [2] The league held tryouts in Chicago in April 2018, attracting 100 prospects but initially selecting only two players to its Chicago Ballers team: former Simeon Career Academy standout Kezo Brown and junior college player Antonio Singleton. [3] [4] [5] However, it held more tryouts in the same city at a later date. [5]
Brown, a former Chicago State commit embattled with mental health issues in high school, was encouraged to join the Ballers after Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy was fired and assumed the same position with the Chicago JBA team. [6] However, Dildy was replaced by Eddie Denard, who had been his assistant at Chicago State, before the season began. [7] [8] Singleton, on the other hand, struggled academically in high school and later played for Dakota College at Bottineau. [9] On June 8, 2018, members of the Ballers were interviewed on WCIU-TV. [8]
On July 13, coach Eddie Denard drew widespread criticism after shoving and verbally berating Montrell Dixson. [10] In their next game on July 19, the Chicago squad was coached by former Sacramento State University assistant coach Nicolas Colon, effectively replacing coach Denard moving forward. [11] [12]
| Chicago Ballers roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: August 3, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charles Edward O'Bannon Sr. is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins. He was a two-time first-team all-conference player in the Pac-10 and teamed with brother Ed to help the Bruins win a national championship in 1995. O'Bannon played two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Detroit Pistons and also played overseas in Japan, Poland, and Italy.
LaMelo LaFrance Ball is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Hornets with the third overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft.
LiAngelo Robert Ball is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 215 pounds (98 kg), he plays the shooting guard position.
LaVar Christopher Ball is an American businessman and former professional football player. He is the co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the sports apparel company Big Baller Brand and founder of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA). He is the father of three basketball players: Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo, Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo, and shooting guard LiAngelo.
Big Baller Brand (BBB) is an American company that designs, manufactures, and sells clothing and shoes. Launched in 2016 by Alan Foster and LaVar Ball, it has most notably produced signature shoes for the Ball brothers—basketball players Lonzo Ball, LaMelo Ball, and LiAngelo Ball. Big Baller Brand has additionally been involved in the creation of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), which it fully funded, and both the Big Baller Brand Challenge Games and Big Baller Brand International Tournament, which were a series of Lithuanian exhibition games hosted by BC Vytautas.
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.
Marquis "Kezo" Brown Jr. is an American basketball player for the Chicago Angels of the American Basketball Association. He competed for Simeon Career Academy in his hometown of Chicago, where he was a three-star recruit and one of the top high school players in Illinois from his freshman year. Despite being sidelined and hospitalized with mental health issues in multiple seasons at Simeon, he continued drawing interest from Chicago State, eventually committing to play for them at the NCAA Division I level. However, Brown later dropped his college plans, instead turning professional with the Chicago Ballers in the Junior Basketball Association. Brown was shot five times during an altercation in Chicago in March 2019.
Gregory Floyd Jr. is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA). He played for three different schools at the high school level, emerging as a four-star recruit and one of the top-ranked prospects in Nevada while at Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas. Despite receiving several NCAA Division I offers, he was considered academically ineligible after his grades plummeted due to the death of his sister, continuing his career at Antelope Valley College before moving to the JBA.
The 2018 JBA season was the only season of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), an American men's professional basketball league. The JBA was designed as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), allowing high school and junior college players to immediately play professionally. The season began on June 21 and concluded with the JBA Finals on August 12, 2018. After the season concluded, the JBA selected many of its top players to take part in what was originally a 28-game international season against teams from various countries in Europe and Asia. However, an incident in Lithuania lead to a shortening of the event, with teams dropping out of matches and Asian teams cancelling their matches for late 2018 and early 2019 altogether.
Jerell Dwayne Springer is an American basketball player for BC Kavkasia of the Georgia A League. Standing 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) and weighing 180 pounds (81.6 kg), he was a top prospect in Nevada at the high school level, attending Shadow Ridge and Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas. Although his senior season at the latter school was beset by eligibility issues, he was a three-star recruit and committed to play college basketball for Southern Utah. However, he chose to not enroll and later decided to join the JBA.
The Seattle Ballers were a basketball team based in Seattle, Washington. The team competed in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created for high school and junior college players as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
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 the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). They won the championship for the league's only 2018 season.
The Houston Ballers were a basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team competed in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created for high school and junior college players as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The Atlanta Ballers were a basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created for high school and junior college players as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
“We are balling” - New York Ballers
The Dallas Ballers were a basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. The team competed in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created for high school and junior college players as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The Philadelphia Ballers were a basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The team competed in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created for high school and junior college players as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Harrison Joseph Rieger is an American professional basketball player for Juayua of the Liga Superior de Baloncesto de El Salvador. He competed for Moorestown High School and Camden County College. In 2018, he joined the Chicago Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association
Curtis Melvin Hollis is an American professional basketball player who last played for Dragons Rhöndorf of the German ProB. He played one season for Hutchinson Community College. In 2018, he played for the Houston Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA).
Deon Jay Lyle is an American professional basketball player for the Enid Outlaws of The Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Cloud CC Thunderbirds and the UTSA Roadrunners. In 2018, he played for the Chicago Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA).
