What Is Happening With The Big Baller Brand?
LaVar Ball once told us that he would present the most prolific family in the history of the NBA. He said that Lonzo Ball was better than Steph Curry. And that all 3 of his boys would be NBA one-and-done draft prospects. He also said that the Big Baller Brand would eventually surpass the dominance and popularity of the major brands, Nike and Adidas. It’s been over 2 years and LaVar is nowhere near the completion of his dreams. In fact, it seems like everything is starting to trend in the opposite direction.
Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo
The Lakers 2016 2nd overall Draft Pick is averaging 9.9 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and 5.4 assists per game in just 99 contests over the past 2 seasons. On January 19, 2019, Ball suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain against the Houston Rockets. He was deemed out for the rest of the season not too long after the injury occurred. We have seen flashes of potential with Lonzo, but due to his injuries, he hasn’t been able to display consistent play.It seems as if LiAngelo Ball is going to take the G-League route, despite the advice from his family. The G League transition to the NBA is incredibly difficult, especially with no college experience.
Youngest star LaMelo Ball is currently playing on one of the most loaded high school basketball teams in the country, SPIRE Institute. Whether or not he will be a star remains to be seen. It all depends on how he performs against tougher competition at the collegiate level.
Big Baller Brand News
Last week, Lonzo Ball told reporters that he was immediately cutting ties with the Big Baller Brand. Family friend and part owner Alan Foster, has reportedly misappropriated 1.5 million dollars of Lonzo Ball’s personal money.
According to ESPN, this isn’t the first time Lonzo has spotted issues with Foster’s management. He brought his grievances to LaVar in October of 2018, but little to nothing was done. More surprisingly, this isn’t Foster’s first financial scam. And until ESPN reporters asked Lonzo about it earlier last week, the Ball’s were unaware that Foster was also a convicted fraudster. Foster pleaded guilty in 2002 for his involvement in a scheme that robbed 70 investors out of $4 million.
Lonzo’s last Instagram post hinted at the inevitable split with the BBB. The caption stated: “Moving on to bigger and better #MyOwnMan”. In the picture, we see Lonzo dramatically looking forward, as the wall of retired Laker jerseys is behind him. The beautifully trademarked Nike check was very illuminated on his jersey- if you were wondering what might be next.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvXqeWnFenu/
LaVar could very well fire Alan Foster to make amends to Lonzo; however, this seems a little too late. Without Lonzo (maybe LaMelo too), it’s hard to tell if this familial brand can survive the split.
Basketball Hoop. Photo Credit: Dayland Shannon | Under Creative Commons License