Point guard Lonzo Ball has revealed that the Los Angeles Lakers stepped in to prevent him from continuing to wear his Big Baller Brand shoes. Lonzo’s father LaVar Ball created the Big Baller Brand for his sons Lonzo, LaMelo Ball and LiAngelo Bell to have their shoes as they each entered the professional basketball world. Huge attention for Lonzo coming out of college as a top prospect made the shoe line have momentum early during his rookie season.
Lonzo revealed why the Lakers made him stop wearing Big Baller Brand shoes:
“Bro, I tried to wear them though. I actually wore them for a fair amount of time. And I wore them longer than I wanted to wear them, but me and my pops had got into it and s***. But it came to a point, really, the Lakers made me stop wearing them. Called me into the office and s***, played a video they were like bro look at this s*** and it was like my shoe was already turning before I hit the ground type s***. Like, you can’t wear these no more.”
Lonzo revealed that he and LaVar got into an argument about him continuing to wear the shoes to make the brand popular. However, the Lakers felt they were less safe than the other shoes that other players wanted and made him end the Big Baller Brand era of his career.
What Happened To Big Baller Brand?
Lonzo ending his time wearing Big Baller Brand shoes basically stopped the shoe line from reaching higher success. The Ball family remained popular with their short-lived reality show, and LaMelo progressing into an even better player than Lonzo was at his prime.
Big Baller Brand still sells merchandise on their site with sneakers and shirts as the main items. However, LaVar has given up on trying to make his sons wear the Big Baller Brand shoes during their basketball games.
LaMelo received a strong shoe deal with Puma to give himself a more popular brand after he became a success for the Charlotte Hornets. Things worked out for LaMelo to get a more secure deal for his future and for Big Baller Brand to sell secondary merchandise related to the family’s story.
Why Lonzo Ball Didn’t Work For Lakers
The Lakers regrettably selected Lonzo with the second overall pick in the 2017 Draft above names like Jayson Tatum and De’Aaron Fox. Ball had two below average seasons with the Lakers that saw him unfortunately failing to develop a shot.
A blockbuster trade sent Lonzo, Brandon Ingram, and others to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis. Lonzo ended up playing better in his new home, and the Lakers won an NBA Championship in 2020 thanks to the duo of Davis and LeBron James.
The Chicago Bulls signed Ball, but injuries started to ruin his career. Lonzo fell from a serviceable starter and good backup guard to struggling to land a job. The Cleveland Cavaliers had Ball on the roster this season and got rid of him at the deadline. Lonzo is hoping to get another chance in the NBA with a new team this offseason.
Lakers Stopped Lonzo Ball From Wearing Big Baller Brand Shoes