# 2018 JBA season

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.

## Teams

The 2018 JBA season consisted of eight teams, with each representing an American city and having 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.
| Team | Home city | Head coach |
| Atlanta Ballers | Atlanta, Georgia | Douglas Byrd |
| Chicago Ballers | Chicago, Illinois | Eddie Denard Nicolas Colon |
| Dallas Ballers | Dallas, Texas | Ray Johnson |
| Houston Ballers | Houston, Texas | Everett Rick |
| Los Angeles Ballers | Los Angeles, California | Doyle Balthazar |
| New York Ballers | New York City, New York | Marvin McCullough |
| Philadelphia Ballers | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | James Martin |
| Seattle Ballers | Seattle, Washington | Charles O'Bannon |

## Regular season
### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Qualification |
| 1 | Los Angeles Ballers (C, Z) | 8 | 6 | 2 | .750 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 2 | Seattle Ballers | 8 | 5 | 3 | .625 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 3 | New York Ballers | 8 | 5 | 3 | .625 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 4 | Dallas Ballers | 8 | 5 | 3 | .625 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 5 | Atlanta Ballers | 8 | 5 | 3 | .625 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 6 | Houston Ballers | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 7 | Chicago Ballers | 8 | 2 | 6 | .250 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 8 | Philadelphia Ballers (W) | 8 | 1 | 7 | .125 | Qualification for the playoffs |

### Games
## All-Star Event

On August 3, 2018, the JBA hosted their inaugural All-Star Event at the Quest Multisport in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to the All-Star Game, the league hosted a Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest. Two days before the event, event contestants and All-Star Game selections were officially revealed to the public.

### Three-Point Contest

Contestants :
| Pos. | Player | Team |
| G | Nigel Chaney | Atlanta Ballers |
| G/F | Harrison Rieger | Chicago Ballers |
| G | Karlon McSpadden | Dallas Ballers |
| G | Jordell Ross | Houston Ballers |
| G | LiAngelo Ball | Los Angeles Ballers |
| G | Taylor Kirkham | New York Ballers |
| F/G | Marquis Johnson | Philadelphia Ballers |
| G | Brandon Willis | Seattle Ballers |

#### Results

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| LiAngelo Ball (Los Angeles) | LiAngelo Ball (Los Angeles) | 12 | | | | | | |
| Harrison Rieger (Chicago) | Harrison Rieger (Chicago) | 11 | | | | | | |
| Harrison Rieger (Chicago) | Harrison Rieger (Chicago) | 11 | LiAngelo Ball (Los Angeles) | LiAngelo Ball (Los Angeles) | 8 | | | |
| | | | Taylor Kirkham (New York) | Taylor Kirkham (New York) | 6 | | | |
| Karlon McSpadden (Dallas) | Karlon McSpadden (Dallas) | 12 | Taylor Kirkham (New York) | Taylor Kirkham (New York) | 6 | | | |
| Taylor Kirkham (New York) | Taylor Kirkham (New York) | 14 | | | | | | |
| Taylor Kirkham (New York) | Taylor Kirkham (New York) | 14 | | | | LiAngelo Ball (Los Angeles) | LiAngelo Ball (Los Angeles) | 9 |
| | | | | | | Brandon Willis (Seattle) | Brandon Willis (Seattle) | 18 |
| Jordell Ross (Houston) | Jordell Ross (Houston) | 9 | | | | | | | Brandon Willis (Seattle) | Brandon Willis (Seattle) | 18 |
| Marquis Johnson (Philadelphia) | Marquis Johnson (Philadelphia) | 6 | | | | | | |
| Marquis Johnson (Philadelphia) | Marquis Johnson (Philadelphia) | 6 | Jordell Ross (Houston) | Jordell Ross (Houston) | 9 | | | |
| | | | Brandon Willis (Seattle) | Brandon Willis (Seattle) | 12 | | | |
| Brandon Willis (Seattle) | Brandon Willis (Seattle) | 13 | Brandon Willis (Seattle) | Brandon Willis (Seattle) | 12 | | | |
| Nigel Chaney (Atlanta) | Nigel Chaney (Atlanta) | 7 | | | | | | |

### Slam Dunk Contest

Contestants :
| Pos. | Player | Team |
| G | Fionn Brown | Atlanta Ballers |
| F | Shaun Lee | Chicago Ballers |
| G | Demolia Peterson | Dallas Ballers |
| F | Nicholas Lovelace | Houston Ballers |
| F/G | Keshaun Mack | Los Angeles Ballers |
| G | Jameer Killing | New York Ballers |
| G/F | Shannon Handy | Philadelphia Ballers |
| G | Anthony Carmon | Seattle Ballers |

#### Results

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| Shaun Lee (Chicago) | Shaun Lee (Chicago) | 45 | | | | | |
| Anthony Carmon (Seattle) | Anthony Carmon (Seattle) | 36 | | | | | |
| Anthony Carmon (Seattle) | Anthony Carmon (Seattle) | 36 | Shaun Lee (Chicago) | Shaun Lee (Chicago) | | | |
| | | | Jameer Killing (New York) | Jameer Killing (New York) | | | |
| Demolia Peterson (Dallas) | Demolia Peterson (Dallas) | 25 | Jameer Killing (New York) | Jameer Killing (New York) | | | |
| Jameer Killing (New York) | Jameer Killing (New York) | 28 | | | | | |
| Jameer Killing (New York) | Jameer Killing (New York) | 28 | | | Shaun Lee (Chicago) | Shaun Lee (Chicago) | 25 |
| | | | | | Nicholas Lovelace (Houston) | Nicholas Lovelace (Houston) | 29 |
| Keshaun Mack (Los Angeles) | Keshaun Mack (Los Angeles) | | | | | | | Nicholas Lovelace (Houston) | Nicholas Lovelace (Houston) | 29 |
| Shannon Handy (Philadelphia) | Shannon Handy (Philadelphia) | | | | | | |
| Shannon Handy (Philadelphia) | Shannon Handy (Philadelphia) | | Keshaun Mack (Los Angeles) | Keshaun Mack (Los Angeles) | | | |
| | | | Nicholas Lovelace (Houston) | Nicholas Lovelace (Houston) | | | |
| Nicholas Lovelace (Houston) | Nicholas Lovelace (Houston) | 44 | Nicholas Lovelace (Houston) | Nicholas Lovelace (Houston) | | | |
| Fionn Brown (Atlanta) | Fionn Brown (Atlanta) | | | | | | |

### All-Star Game

East :
| Pos. | Player | Team |
| G | Jaylen Nixon | Philadelphia Ballers |
| F | Calvin Brown | New York Ballers |
| G | Nolan Irby | New York Ballers |
| F | Corey Boyd | Atlanta Ballers |
| G | Isom Butler | Atlanta Ballers |
| G | Nigel Chaney | Atlanta Ballers |
| G/F | Deon Lyle | Chicago Ballers |
| G/F | Harrison Rieger | Chicago Ballers |
| F | Montrell Dixson | Chicago Ballers |
| G | Lenell Watson | Chicago Ballers |
| Head coach: Alan Foster Assistant coach: Karolis Malinauskas |||
West :
| Pos. | Player | Team |
| G | Jordon Myers | Houston Ballers |
| G/F | Curtis Hollis | Houston Ballers |
| F/C | Nate Morris | Dallas Ballers |
| G | Caleal Walker | Dallas Ballers |
| F/C | Melvin Davis | Los Angeles Ballers |
| F | Greg Floyd Jr. | Los Angeles Ballers |
| G/F | LiAngelo Ball | Los Angeles Ballers |
| G | LaMelo Ball | Los Angeles Ballers |
| G | Niles Malone | Los Angeles Ballers |
| F | JaMicheal Morgan | Seattle Ballers |
| G | Jerell Springer | Seattle Ballers |
| Head coach: LaVar Ball Assistant coach: Tito Ortiz |||

### Game

LiAngelo Ball of the West All-Stars was named co-most valuable player (MVP) along with Deon Lyle of the East All-Stars. Ball recorded 39 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Lyle scored a game-high 51 points. LaMelo Ball also recorded a double-double with 42 points and 17 assists.
* August 3, 2018 7:00 pm CT
* Recap
East All-Stars 189, West All-Stars 202 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–51, 49–39, 42–58, 63–54 |||
| Pts: Lyle (51) Rebs: Lyle, Boyd (11) Asts: Butler (10) | Pts: La. Ball, Hollis (42) Rebs: Li. Ball (15) Asts: La. Ball (17) |
* Quest Multisport, Chicago, Illinois

## Playoffs
### Championship bracket

Venue: Eagle's Nest Arena (Los Angeles, California), Citizens Business Bank Arena (Ontario, California)
| Quarterfinals August 10 | Quarterfinals August 10 | Quarterfinals August 10 | Semifinals August 11 | Semifinals August 11 | Semifinals August 11 | Championship game August 12 | Championship game August 12 | Championship game August 12 |
| 1 | Los Angeles Ballers | 157 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Philadelphia Ballers | 134 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Philadelphia Ballers | 134 | 1 | Los Angeles Ballers | 127 | | | |
| | | | 4 | New York Ballers | 124 | | | |
| 4 | New York Ballers | 93 | 4 | New York Ballers | 124 | | | |
| 5 | Atlanta Ballers | 82 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Atlanta Ballers | 82 | | | | 1 | Los Angeles Ballers | 132 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Seattle Ballers | 121 |
| 3 | Dallas Ballers | 105 | | | | | | | 2 | Seattle Ballers | 121 |
| 6 | Houston Ballers | 106 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Houston Ballers | 106 | 2 | Seattle Ballers | 129 | | | |
| | | | 6 | Houston Ballers | 106 | | | |
| 2 | Seattle Ballers | 105 | 6 | Houston Ballers | 106 | | | |
| 7 | Chicago Ballers | 90 | | | | | | |

### Boxscores
#### Quarterfinals

* August 10, 2018 12:00
* Boxscore
| New York | 93–82 | Atlanta |
| Scoring by quarter: 29–11, 17–23, 25–23, 22–23 |||
| Pts: Antoine (24) Rebs: Brown (10) Asts: Irby (8) | | Pts: Chaney (22) Rebs: Boyd (13) Asts: Butler (5) |
* Eagle's Nest Arena, Los Angeles, California
* August 10, 2018 2:30
* Boxscore
| Dallas | 105–106 (OT) | Houston |
| Scoring by quarter: 16–17, 26–20, 27–27, 20–25, Overtime: 16–17 |||
| Pts: McSpadden (35) Rebs: Morris (11) Asts: M. Morgan (7) | | Pts: Hollis (31) Rebs: Myers (12) Asts: Myers (5) |
* Eagle's Nest Arena, Los Angeles, California
* August 10, 2018 5:00
* Boxscore
| Seattle | 105–90 | Chicago |
| Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 19–13, 36–21, 27–36 |||
| Pts: Abdullah-Booker (23) Rebs: Abdullah-Booker (13) Asts: Uzan (5) | | Pts: Watson (26) Rebs: Pope (20) Asts: Pope (4) |
* Eagle's Nest Arena, Los Angeles, California
* August 10, 2018 7:30
* Boxscore
| Los Angeles | 157–134 | Philadelphia |
| Scoring by quarter: 36–16, 41–35, 40–38, 40–45 |||
| Pts: Li. Ball (58) Rebs: Davis (11) Asts: La. Ball (13) | | Pts: Johnson (32) Rebs: Handy (14) Asts: Buckner (10) |
* Eagle's Nest Arena, Los Angeles, California

#### Semifinals

* August 11, 2018 5:00
* Boxscore
| Seattle | 129–106 | Houston |
| Scoring by quarter: 29–25, 40–24, 34–28, 26–29 |||
| Pts: J. Morgan, Willis (29) Rebs: Carmon (13) Asts: Willis (9) | | Pts: Forman (24) Rebs: Hollis (7) Asts: Forman (5) |
* Eagle's Nest Arena, Los Angeles, California
* August 11, 2018 7:30
* Boxscore
| Los Angeles | 127–124 | New York |
| Scoring by quarter: 33–21, 30–40, 33–35, 31–28 |||
| Pts: La. Ball (55) Rebs: La. Ball, Floyd (16) Asts: La. Ball (7) | | Pts: Killing (32) Rebs: Camara (11) Asts: Antoine (10) |
* Eagle's Nest Arena, Los Angeles, California

#### JBA Finals
## International season

After the JBA Finals, the league selected 14 players to play for the JBA USA Team, which will take part in 28 exhibition games against international competition. The international season began on September 22, 2018, when the JBA USA Team faced the Svendborg Rabbits from Denmark. Los Angeles Ballers head coach Doyle Balthazar served as the JBA USA Team head coach, with Los Angeles assistant coach Rasul Salahuddin and Seattle Ballers head coach Charles O'Bannon assuming assistant roles. The international season was expected to continue in 2019. However, due to a fight LaMelo Ball was involved with against Dzūkija Alytus on October 1, some of the teams that were previously scheduled for the event dropped out of the event, with the international event concluding earlier than the league anticipated. LaMelo later left the team and the league to enter his senior year of high school. In addition to him, a few other also left the team during the tournament.

### JBA USA Team roster

| Pos. | Player | Team |
| G | LaMelo Ball | Los Angeles Ballers |
| G | LiAngelo Ball | Los Angeles Ballers |
| F | Corey Boyd | Atlanta Ballers |
| F | Calvin Brown | New York Ballers |
| F | Cameron Clark | Seattle Ballers |
| F/C | Melvin Davis | Los Angeles Ballers |
| F | Greg Floyd Jr. | Los Angeles Ballers |
| G/F | Curtis Hollis | Houston Ballers |
| G/F | Deon Lyle | Chicago Ballers |
| F | JaMicheal Morgan | Seattle Ballers |
| F/C | Nate Morris | Dallas Ballers |
| G | Jordan Ray | Atlanta Ballers |
| G/F | Harrison Rieger | Chicago Ballers |
| G | Jerell Springer | Seattle Ballers |
| F | Nyang Wek | Dallas Ballers |
| Head coach: Doyle Balthazar Assistant coaches: Charles O'Bannon and Rasul Salahuddin |||

### International games
## Media

For the 2018 season, the JBA aired games through Facebook Live, including All-Star festivities and playoff matches. Allen Bell and Brandon Williams were the official commentators for the season.