New league to pay high school players

[64NIT]

Saw this on Twitter:

JUST IN: @overtime says it has raised $80M in new funding from Drake, Jeff Bezos and 25 NBA players. The 5-year old company, who will start a pro league in Sept. that will pay elite high school basketball players, have videos that generate 1.7 billion views a month.

https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/1385215450104094747

[PhiAlphaBoy]

If successful, this new league will be a game-changer for college basketball, especially the Bluebloods like Duke, UK, and other traditional powerhouses.

[Da Coach]

Lavar Ball, father of NBA players Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, tried something like this with his JBA (Junior Basketball League) .
It was claimed to be intended to attract players out of high school who did not yet qualify to enter the NBA Draft, and as an alternative to the NCAA. It was supposed to offer a high level of competition without having to go overseas to play. However, it turned out to be mostly a showcase for his two younger sons, and was a financial flop. It folded after 1 season.
When it folded, it ended up hurting a lot of kids who played for money (a relatively small amount averaging $3000/month). Almost none of the players ever made it to the NBA, yet they were left ineligible to play college ball because they had been paid and lost their amateur status..
Here is a summary of the JBL-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Basketball_Association