The Junior Basketball Association (JBA), created by LaVar Ball, had a few bumps in its first full calendar year, but it caught the attention of a few high-profile NBA players, including DeMarcus Cousins of the Golden State Warriors.

After Duke’s Zion Williamson suffered a scary looking injury on Wednesday, Cousins went on a rant about how the NCAA and college basketball in general is an unfair system for its players, who infamously don’t get paid.

Instead, Cousins would rather see elite high school prospects take alternative paths to the NBA where they’d make money like the NBA G League or the JBA.

Here’s what he had to say about the JBA, via Chicco Nacion of The Score:

Cousins also complimented LaVar Ball for founding the Junior Basketball Association in December 2017. The league offers high school and junior college players the opportunity to play at a professional level while also being compensated. “So it was kind of cool what (LaVar) Ball did with his whole little league,” Cousins said, according to Friedell. “I think it’s a cool thing. Obviously he doesn’t have the greatest name and people look at him in a foolish manner, but what he’s doing makes sense. He wants to help these kids.”

Granted, there were a few issues with players not getting paid on time and, in some cases, players not getting the full amount they were promised, but those problems were eventually solved.

It’s unclear what the future of the JBA will be with LaMelo Ball hoping to go to college and LiAngelo Ball planning to play in the G League or overseas, but the league teased a big announcement from their Instagram account last month.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtfW6oWAv-_/

We’ll have more for you when that announcement is made public.