LaVar Ball knows what he’s doing when it comes to drawing interest. He has figured out how to keep his name in the spotlight through all imaginable means. He’s been boorish, outlandish, silly, combative and even emotional.
He’s a dad. He’s a fledgling businessman. His family and his business goals are at the heart of everything he does. Whether you agree with his methods or not, it’s hard to argue that LaVar Ball loves his sons and wants them to thrive (his way).
But dads and new business owners tend to be similar in one way: They can’t imagine their child failing. We don’t know much about LaVar’s contingency plans, except that he presents himself with such confidence that he probably wouldn’t admit to having them even if he did. With that in mind, here are four potential pitfalls that could undo a lot of what LaVar is building with Big Baller Brand — and hurt his sons, particularly oldest son Lonzo, in the process.
1. The Lakers pick someone else.
Lonzo won’t work out for any other team, LaVar proudly declared after the NBA Draft Lottery. The Los Angeles Lakers received the No. 2 overall pick, and Father Ball was perfectly content telling the Boston Celtics to use their No. 1 overall pick on Markelle Fultz.
Most talent evaluators put Fultz ahead of Ball anyway, and they’re both point guards, so the Celtics probably will take his advice. (Celtics president Danny Ainge made a point to say Ball would be considered with the first pick like any other top prospect, regardless of what his dad says.)
Lakers president Magic Johnson probably loves that. But putting Lonzo through only one team’s workout was a mistake of massive hubris. LaVar has said he thinks his son is already the best player in the world, which obviously isn’t true — little secret: LeBron James would have led UCLA past the Sweet 16 — and he undoubtedly feels the same about this class of prospects. But while Ball grades out at a similar or even better level when compared to Josh Jackson, De’Aaron Fox and Jayson Tatum, he’s not so far ahead that he can get comfortable.
What if Johnson falls for Jackson, who might fit the Lakers’ needs better anyway? What if they want Fox’s defense and look back at him dominating Ball in the NCAA Tournament? The Philadelphia 76ers would seem like a great landing spot for Ball, but he won’t even have worked out with them because of his stubborn father.
How far could Lonzo slip? Maybe all the way down to No. 5 — and the constantly bumbling Sacramento Kings.
2. Lonzo just isn’t that good, at least not right away.
Look around. Rookies aren’t good anymore. With so many top talents only spending one year in college — like Lonzo Ball — the NBA Rookie of the Year Award has often been reduced to a look at players who either spent a year or two away from the league after being drafted or were slept-on upperclassmen who happened to be a bit more seasoned than their higher-potential competition.
Ball has holes in his game, but many of them could be fixed. The fact that he’s playing point guard, the most difficult-to-master position in the league, exacerbates that concern. Think about how long it took Kyle Lowry or Mike Conley to get a full grasp of the position.
If Ball is averaging 7 points and 4 assists a game off a bad team’s bench next season, any and all hype for Big Baller Brand will fall flat. No one wants to buy a mediocre player’s $500 shoe. That’s why shoe companies rarely give signature lines to rookies. It’s also why Ball would have been smart to go to Nike for a few years. LaVar could have waited until his youngest son, 15-year-old LaMelo, was ready for the NBA to launch Big Baller Brand, by which point, Lonzo might be a star. Or not. At least we’d know for sure.
3. Lonzo gets hurt.
Greg Oden, Blake Griffin, Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons — all high draft picks who missed their entire first NBA seasons with injuries. Then you add in players such as Jabari Parker and Julius Randle, who were hurt early in their rookie years.
Injuries can happen to anyone and should be wished upon no one. Once again, this is the risk of building a brand around an unestablished player. Can Big Baller Brand really afford to wait around a year while Lonzo heals? Maybe he really is the best player in this class and a future superstar, but we won’t know if he can’t play.
4. The shoes aren’t good — or worse.
This is the one that is worth the most concern. Nike, adidas and Under Armour spend millions (maybe billions) on sneaker technology. They have engineered the best shoes in the world for their purpose, and each shoe these days has its own specific advantages. Next time you want to buy some basketball shoes, research your own foot type and playing style and which shoe is best instead of looking for the coolest colorway. It’s eye-opening.
Big Baller Brand has access to exactly none of that research. They’re trying to build a performance shoe on the basis of what, exactly? This isn’t to say LaVar and his associates are shooting from the hip, but they haven’t really let us in on much beyond the insole. Here’s what the Big Baller Brand website says about the ZO2:
The ZO2 Prime is ushering in a new paradigm on and off the court. The ZO2: PRIME was meticulously developed at every stage by Lonzo Ball. Debuting in a low-top cut, the Prime flies first class without compromise.
An Ortholite© insole is embedded throughout the entire insole for maximum comfort.
A full bed of shock absorbent material keeps the shoe lightweight for high-speed performance. With a custom paint on the bottom, Microfiber python texture in Matte Black, and a Delorean finish.
The ZO2: PRIME is a first class fit for any collection
The shoe costs $500, which might seem to guarantee quality. But that’s likely more about the manufacturing costs when you don’t own your own production lines like Nike or adidas. Those materials sound great on paper, but are they put together with the precision and learned nuance of, say, Under Armour’s often-maligned Curry 2s?
The issues here are more than not getting what you pay for. Poorly made shoes can lead to injuries, and a spate of injuries could undo Big Baller Brand even faster than mediocre play from Lonzo. Let’s hope LaVar has done his research. On everything. (By Adi Joseph)
