You can say what you want about how crazy LaVar Ball is, but his son Lonzo just became the first player to have his own independently made signature shoe entering the NBA Draft. Slam breaks down the historic announcement, and how it will change the game moving forward.
Folks were laughing when Nike, adidas and Under Armour passed on working with the Big Baller Brand, but LaVar has long been adamant that his sons were interested in a co-branding arrangement as opposed to the standard sneaker endorsement deal.
According to Slam, “BBB is aiming for Lonzos signature sneaker to tap into a new marketabove the athletic performance kicks from the likes of Nike, Jordan, adidas and Under Armour, but below the high-end designer shoes of Gucci, Prada or Louis Vuitton. The ZO2 Prime comes with a $495 price tag. There is also a limited ZO2 WET Autographs edition, which will come in a key-locked glass box with a floor mirror, LED lights and an autograph from the Chino Hills prodigy himself. It will cost $995.”
The Big Baller Brand is currently negotiating with potential investors and more announcements are expected in the coming weeks. As Cutty once had told Slim Charles, “The game done changed.” And I can hear LaVar Ball’s response right now, echoing Slim’s response.
“The game’s the same. It just got more fierce.”
This athlete shoe game just went into some unchartered waters. It will be interesting to see if this new business model will sink or swim, and where things go from here
