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).

Philadelphia Ballers
Philadelphia Ballers logo
LeagueJBA
Founded2018
HistoryPhiladelphia Ballers
2018 JBA season
LocationPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Team coloursBlack, gray, white
     
Head coachJames Martin

History

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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] In the tryouts, LaVar found a full roster for the team, thus being the only team to do so for the entire (inaugural) season.[3] However, they ended their inaugural season with the worst regular season, winning only one game that year (against the Seattle Ballers) on July 5, 2018.

Final roster

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Philadelphia Ballers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age
PG 2   Haid, Devin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg)
G/F 5   Hall, Elijah 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg)
G/F 11   Stacey, Brandon 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 25 – (1999-01-06)6 January 1999
G 13   Buckner, Jawane 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 140 lb (64 kg) 24 – (2000-01-17)17 January 2000
20   Wooden, Jordan
G/F 22   Johnson, Marquis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 25 – (1999-01-20)20 January 1999
SG 23   Nixon, Jaylen (C) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 26 – (1997-12-22)22 December 1997
PF 35   Royster, Taj 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  •   Injured

Updated: June 23, 2018

References

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  1. ^ Calle, Franklyn (December 20, 2017). "LaVar Ball Launches Pro League". SLAM. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  2. ^ Rovell, Darren (December 21, 2017). "LaVar Ball plans to start league for high school graduates". ESPN. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  3. ^ Martin, Josh (May 1, 2018). "Big Baller Brand finally fields full squad for LaVar Ball's JBA league". USA Today. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
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