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LaVar Ball gets publicly rejected by some of the top talents in basketball

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We haven’t received any official word on how LaVar Ball’s Big Baller Brand is doing with sales.

Aside from his own family, there haven’t been many sightings of those $495 ZO2 basketball shoes.

Much like his sneaker business, Ball’s Junior Basketball Association, announced in December, seems like a lot of hype with negligible results.

The idea behind the league is to entice high school graduates with the chance to play professional basketball (getting paid $3,000-$10,000 per month) to prepare for the NBA.

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The company is messaging top recruits via social media in hopes that they’ll sign up to play in the JBA.

At this point, things are not going well.

The Tipton Edits twitter account is keeping track of players Ball has contacted, and LaVar’s success rate is even lower than Lonzo’s free throw shooting percentage.

It says about 80 players have been contacted, with not one signing up for a play date with LaMelo and LiAngelo after they leave Lithuania.

When the most positive response you’ve gotten is from a Northern Iowa recruit who has to check with his parents, that’s not great news.

The concept is an interesting one, but top players who don’t want to go to college have the option of going to Europe, where they’ll play against better competition and make more money. (Think Brandon Jennings.)

And for all the crazy stories we hear from overseas basketball, it’s likely nothing compared with the LaVar Ball Experience.

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Far be it from us to give Ball recruiting advice, but it probably would help to spell the player’s name right.

Just ask Jairus Hamilton, whom BBB referred to as “Jarius.”

Should the JBA fall flat, it will be interesting to hear Ball’s spin on what happened.

In the meantime, maybe we can watch LaMelo and LiAngelo play one-on-one.

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Mike is an 11-time Michigan Emmy Award winner who has spent nearly 30 years working in sports media.
Mike has spent nearly 30 years in all aspects of sports media, including on-air, 10 at ESPN and another 10 at Fox Sports Detroit. He now works as a TV agent, and lives with his family in West Bloomfield, MI.
Birthplace
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Honors/Awards
11-time Michigan Emmy winner
Education
Emerson College
Books Written
The Longest Year: One Family's Journey Of Life, Death, And Love/If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Tigers/If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Lions
Topics of Expertise
Sports




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