Getty Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball
The situation involving Lonzo Ball and his rumored potential departure from the Big Baller Brand has been well-documented. It’s an unfortunate story and situation, and one that Ball seems intent on distancing himself from as much as possible.
As ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk cited, Ramona Shelburne and Paula Lavigne previously reported that Ball had severed ties with company co-founder Alan Foster. This stems from apparent concerns over Foster’s potential criminal past among other things.
This comes after ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Paula Lavigne reported that Ball had severed ties with Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster over concerns that the longtime family friend has a criminal past and also had been unable to adequately account for the whereabouts of roughly $1.5 million from Ball’s personal and business accounts.
Following this news, Ball has removed Big Baller Brand from a number of social media platforms and even covered up his tattoo.
With Ball seemingly finished with the company and likely moving on, one big question is where he could sign an endorsement deal. Nike and Adidas have been popular names tossed out, but it seems we may be able to take a hint to get an idea of where the Los Angeles Lakers guard’s head is at.
Lonzo Ball Teases Nike Endorsement?
Thanks to some impressive detective work by Reddit user ttam23, it seems there are a few reasons to believe that Ball could be looking at Nike for his new endorsement. Not only did the Lakers guard change his Twitter profile picture to a photo of him as a child wearing a Nike t-shirt, but he also posted the following on Instagram.
Obviously, it’s purely speculation at this point, but it’s still worth keeping an eye on. Ball has a lot on his plate currently and many things to deal with on the business front, but he’ll look to have a strong offseason and hit the ground running next NBA season.
Lonzo Ball’s Injury & 2018-19 Season With Lakers
While Ball has averaged 9.9 points, 5.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game this season, he had really started to thrive before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. The second-year guard hasn’t played since January 19 but wasn’t immediately ruled out for the year. The Lakers held out hope Ball could return for their playoff push, but the team was unable to remain in contention and he was eventually shut down.
Through the 10 games he played in January, the 21-year-old point guard posted marks of 11.1 points, 7.0 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot 36.4 percent from 3-point range while averaging 5.5 attempts over the stretch.
Although Ball’s name will remain in trade rumors during the offseason and his future with the Lakers is up in the air, he should have clarity at some point early in the summer.
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