LaMelo Ball Joining Puma? Jay-Z’s Influence on Hoops Star Revealed [VIDEO]

Getty LaMelo Ball

Will LaMelo Ball join Puma?

Back in January, National Basketball Leeague analyst Corey “Homicide” Williams revealed that the future lottery pick was offered $100 million, a private jet and a sneaker contract from an undisclosed sneaker company.

“Just got off the phone with a source close to me in America that just told me [that] a sneaker company has offered LaMelo Ball a private jet and $100 million dollars,” Williams said via Twitter.

Back in January, Williams declined to tell me which sneaker company has Ball on their radar. “They are not going to lose Melo,” Williams told me via text message.

“They are going to do everything in their power to execute this offer. In my opinion, this company knows this is a one of kind opportunity. Melo hype is as big as MJ. Pick one.”

Appearing on Monday morning’s edition of the Scoop B Radio Podcast, I asked Williams of the chances of LaMelo Ball signing with Puma and getting a receiving a jet at his disposal from the sneaker company. “Who is the first company to offer a player that,” he told Scoop B Radio.

“It wasn’t Nike. It was Reebok. Reebok offered LeBron that deal first. Reebok offered LeBron that same deal you understand what I’m sayin’? So ok, it could be potentially Reebok. It could be potentially PUMA. He was on the PUMA Jet. It’s a conversation that began. I’m not saying anything is signed, but I’m just telling you that I know for a fact that Jermaine Jackson and ‘Melo – they sat down…with Hov.”

For those keeping score at home: Jay-Z is a creative director at Puma.

Per USA Today’s Lonzo Wire on March 6:

Roughly two weeks ago, Lonzo Ball’s manager, Jermaine Jackson started an Instagram Live broadcast from an airport showing off a private jet. The broadcast did not come from his main Instagram, which is under the username purplegoat1, but instead a second account. This secondary account, which is under the username make_someone_smile_everyday, doesn’t directly identify itself as Jackson’s account but has a picture of him as the profile picture and consistently posts about Jackson’s son, Jermaine Jackson Jr. The account has also posted pictures and videos of LaMelo Ball as well.”

During the Instagram Live broadcast, the registration of the plane is shown and it reads: N444SC.

“As everybody saw, or may have missed, he hosted in the air with the jet,” Corey “Homicide” Williams tells Scoop B Radio.

“Conversations had began. Because you’re not posting nothing like that if you’re not on the jet. These guys don’t front, they come from money. The Baller Brand is as strong as ever though a lot of people knock it, but it’s relevant – so it’s not like he’s a poor inner city kid, that typical story… that’s not that. You know so, I think to me what Jay-Z has done, he and his team RocNation, the title, and countless other things that they have going on at Columbia University what they just began – you know, those seminars, the schools that he’s done. What I really love, respect and appreciate is the fact that Hov has wealth. He has generational wealth. He has ‘eff you money. And what I mean by that is that he doesn’t need anybody to dictate what he wants to do. That’s a leader and he’s empowering his own. He’s empowering others. He got the bag, now we want to ensure that we spread the wealth. We got ours. We’re not doing it for the sake of being greedy – Me, Me, ME… no, it’s WE. And we’re going to empower everybody else as long as they’re in a position to empower themselves. And that’s how you change the narrative, you know? It took two generations get a Jay. It took two generations to get a LeBron. These guys. These men. These leaders of our communities and the world need to be protected. We need to protect them. Because ain’t nobody else going to empower us but us. Not in the manner that they’re doing – Tyler Perry. These people are to be protected. From that abstract of what they do and how they’re moving, Black Excellence is evolving. You gotta love it. And that’s what I’m going to say about that.”