Basketball player Luke Jama took a shot at his dreams to create his own league, called The Jungle Association. Now he is showing other athletes in the Fargo-Moorhead area an alternative route to pursuing a professional basketball career - one slam dunk at a time.
Jama’s story begins close to 9,000 miles away in the East African Country of Somalia.
“I was born in Somalia; I was a refugee. I left when I was two years old - I barely remember anything. The war broke out, and my family had lost everything, so we ended up relocating to Minnesota.”
After living in Minnesota, Jama relocated to Oregon for a few years and then to Fargo, North Dakota where he finished his senior year of high school. He says he's wasn't able to play basketball his senior year due to an unexpected ACL injury. His hopes of pursuing professional basketball didn't seem like a possibility any longer, but he knew he couldn’t let his dreams fumble out of his hands so he went in for a rebound.
“Honestly, being able to grow from that and accept that I wasn't going to be playing at the highest level anymore, was quite the metamorphosis,” said Jama. “And I found that path of me not pursuing an individual career and giving back to the community much more satisfying.”
Jama began coaching 14-and-under and 17-and-under basketball for the Beyond the Game program. He says volunteering opened his eyes to see that he had a passion for coaching and mentorship.
“Being able to see these kids that don't come from these well-off backgrounds look up to me and trust me and believe in the words I tell them, and see a visible change in their attitudes. And just seeing how that was working for them really made me like, say, ‘They need me to be here. If I'm not here, then I don't know who else is.’”
Jama not only served as a youth coach but served as the captain for the North Dakota Somali travel basketball team. He says his experience playing for the Somali basketball association and coaching youth basketball leagues fueled his desire to start his own league. Jama took his shot in 2023 and created The Jungle Association, also known as “TJA.”
“Last year was technically our demo run. This year was our first year, officially, but a lot of people say last year was our first year,” explained Jama.
He says he quickly learned after the launch of TJA that there is no “I” in “team.”
“I had the vision, and I was just doing every single thing to bring that vision to life. So I didn't realize it needed this many different people to bring to life. The videography goes into it, graphic design goes into it. Security – I have to be overseeing everything. I really had to be doing security, like, I have to make sure everybody's safe.”
The Jungle Association league is composed of both pro athletes and college athletes between the ages of 18 and 34 years old. Current athlete Melvin Collins III is 28 years old and has been playing basketball since 2nd grade. After high school he decided to play collegiate basketball for Bismarck State College and Dickinson State. He says The Jungle Association is the most professional league he has played for.
“The thing that I like the most about it has been the competition,” said Collins. “We’ve got a lot of former players. We’ve got some players that are playing overseas, playing pro basketball. So that's what I like about the TJA the most is just the organization, the professionalism, and obviously the competition and those other leagues. You still get good competition here and there, but it's not always consistent. And I would say TJA is pretty consistent, so that's why it's my favorite league to play in.”
Collins serves as the captain for the team Opal Orcas. This year they ended the season as reigning champions. Being a captain takes leadership and being a role model, something he says TJA has allowed him to be.
“I feel like the TJA League has given me the opportunity just to get my face out there, my name out there. I really think more personal training with the youth, that was the biggest way that I was able to give back.”
Collins says he believes The Jungle Association offers a safe space to play basketball without the fear of things turning violent. He says there's a level of competitiveness the athletes can have while still maintaining a brotherhood.
Jama says he has big plans for the future, and hopes to be an organization that offers a space for people of all backgrounds.
“One of the things that I'm trying to look forward to is hopefully bringing women into the league,” said Jama. “I want representation for them – whether it's collegiate, whether it's high school. Fargo has a lot of great female talent that are elite. Honestly, I don't know if we can produce the next Caitlin Clark, but I would love to have the next Caitlin Clark from Fargo.”
Jama is proof that even if you think your shot clock is running out, you can still play in overtime. Life may come with unexpected turnovers, but with perseverance, passion, and team spirit, you can steal the ball back and go in for the win.