Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball has been in the news recently as the Big Baller Brand has ran into some trouble.
Lonzo Ball hasn’t been seen in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform since his severe ankle injury suffered against the Houston Rockets back on January 19th. It marked the third recent ankle injury for the one time future of the franchise.
For the second straight year, it seems that Lonzo Ball will miss a major chunk of the season that he will not finish due to leg issues. In his rookie year, it was all about knee injuries that required surgery in the offseason.
Situations like this can get Lonzo the infamous injury-prone reputation that can stay with NBA players throughout their careers. The investigation of the possible causes of Lonzo Ball injury woes may have a possible conflict with his business ventures.
Some people, including some around the Lakers organization, are starting to quote Spike Lee aka Mars Blackmon in the late 80s.
“Money…It’s gotta be the shoes!”
Lonzo Ball talked about their concerns in an interview with ESPN..
"“Yeah, they talked to me,” Lonzo Ball told ESPN two weeks ago. “They asked me about it, and I told ’em, ‘I feel comfortable. If I wasn’t comfortable, I wouldn’t play in ’em. If I didn’t play in [his signature BBB shoes], I’d play in Kobe [Bryant’s signature Nike shoe]. I work out in [LeBron James’ signature Nike shoe], but that’s because they’re heavier.” Lonzo also said he told the Lakers he was open to making adjustments — “just minor things,” he said — to his Big Baller Brand shoes if needed."
Basketball shoes are an ever booming lucrative business with Nike leading the way thanks to the guy Mars Blackmon was talking to when he saying his famous quote, Michael Jordan. Air Jordans transcended the marketing brand to the level we all know today. It’s amazing that Jordan almost didn’t do a deal with Nike coming out of college.
Since he didn’t use the swoosh brand in college, he did not want to play in Nikes. It was his agent, David Falk, and his mother that convinced him to have a business meeting with the company. Billions of dollars later, we all realize that Michael Jordan made a good business decision.
Lonzo Ball is trying to carve his own niche playing in shoes from a company that he reportedly owns 51 percent of. With the Big Baller Brand fledgling behind Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Puma and even New Balance, who locked up major stars to wear their shoes, it would be in Ball’s best interest to showcase the shoes playing in a Lakers uniform. Best for business, right?
Well, it seems that business in the Big Baller Brand world is starting to have major financial issues.
Lonzo Ball is working to sever ties completely with one of the co-founders of the Big Baller Brand, Alan Foster, with his father LaVar Ball after $1.5 million dollars in business and personal accounts have not been accounted for. This fact came to light according to an ESPN article headed up by Ramona Shelburne and Paula Lavigne.
It is believed that Alan Foster who owns roughly 16 percent of the Big Baller Brand company has misappropriated funds for his personal gain.