And thus ends my LBA career…

I may have written on this blog on prior occasions about the Legal Ballers Association, or LBA. The LBA was started nearly three years ago by the talented and inspiring Jumane Redway, a current JD/MBA student at Oregon. Through Jumane’s perserverence and encouragement, the league has grown into what it is today – a recreational, but competitive, hoops league made up of nearly 100 law students (both guys and girls) and law professors. I think there were 12 teams this year, divided into two divisions (Civil and Criminal, of course). The teams have creative, witty team names like Rulers in Perpetuity, Hoopatheticals, and Amici Curiae (friend of the court). For the past two years I have labored on below-average teams, but this year I was excited to be drafted onto a really great team, the Runnin’ 1.8J’s (the explanation of our team name is for another day, but if you’re really curious, start with the Model Rules of Professional Conduct). Anyway, we spent most of the regular season at or near the top of the standings, so hopes were high when the playoffs rolled around.

After winning a grueling 5 game series (yes, we actually play best-of-5 in the semifinals and championship rounds), we were matched up in the championship with Bestlaw(Remix), the reigning LBA champs gunning for back-to-back titles. Bestlaw is, obviously, sponsored by Westlaw. After dropping the first two games, we won the third game and were only down 2-1. In game 4, a disputed foul call led to Bestlaw having the ball with 15 seconds to play, down by one. One of their best players managed to pass out of a double-team to an open player who hit the game winner as time expired. It was a tough, hard-fought game.

Reflecting on my experience in the LBA, I will certainly remember it as one of the most enjoyable experiences of law school. Besides giving me the opportunity to remain active, the LBA helped foster closer friendships through teamwork, and it helped release some of that pent-up competitive energy that so many of us have. We didn’t win the title, but it was still a great season.


Here is my team, the Runnin' 1.8Js.



Here are the league champs, Bestlaw(Remix)