Has there ever been a figure in sports who has been able to keep himself in the headlines quite like LaVar Ball has for the past year? Whether he's moving his sons to Lithuania to chase their hoop dreams, roasting Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton, or dunking on Donald Trump, the man knows how to grab everyone's attention and keep it. The latest power move by the resident father of "Big Ballers" worldwide is filing trademark documentation for his new basketball league.
TMZ reports that it's obtained documents showing LaVar, under the name Big Baller Brand, has filed applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for rights to "JBA" and "Junior Basketball Association." Along with the official league name, Ball is looking to acquire the official logo of the league as well, a spinoff of the NBA's classic Jerry West silhouette that features a silhouette of his son Lonzo dunking. The logo will also replace the NBA's red and blue colors with black and gold. Both the league's name and logo will be used on jerseys, apparel, footwear, and more.
While the documents certainly show that Ball is serious about this venture, he is far from officially obtaining the trademarks just yet. It could take months before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approves his application.
Ball's original announcement about the league came last month, when he said he was going to create a league for high school basketball players who did not want to play college ball. This, of course, came after he very publicly pulled his son LiAngelo out of UCLA following his shoplifting fiasco in China before he could even log a single minute of play for the team. Ball said the league would compensate players as well. They'll allegedly receive anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 per month. The league will consist of 80 players and 10 teams in total, with games held in major cities like Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta.
It will definitely be interesting to see how the JBA takes shape. While the incentive of compensation is nice, it might be hard for a lot of parents and kids to shift gears instead of following the traditional trajectory from high school to a college basketball program. Also, any fans of seeing the Ball brothers in the JBS, don't get your hopes up. It's already been announced that LiAngelo and LaMelo will remain in Lithuania. One thing is for sure, though: Big Baller Brand logos are going to be EVERYWHERE.
The Junior Basketball Association is scheduled to launch in Summer 2018.
