When the Big Baller Brand ‘ZO2’ debuted it sent shockwaves around the sneaker industry, as Lonzo Ball unveiled a self-made signature shoe for $495 a pair. The price tag was widely ridiculed as people tried to understand why anyone would spend that much on a shoe from a player that hadn’t even played a minute in the NBA considering there isn’t a signature shoe from a current player that tops $200.
There have been people to buy them — not a ton, but multiple hundreds of people have shelled out the $500-plus for the ZO2s — and LaVar, Lonzo, and the rest of the Ball family seem committed to the BBB lifestyle. The design itself was the one thing most people were fine with regarding the ZO2, with many pointing out that it looks an awful lot like the recent run of Kobe sneakers from Nike.
On the latest episode of Sneaker Shopping, Joe La Puma of Complex took the entire Ball family — Lonzo, LaVar, LiAngelo, and LaMelo — out to look at shoes and also discuss the process of creating the ZO2 and passing on Nike and the other major shoe manufacturers. The most interesting part was, after LaVar stated that all the design work was done by Lonzo, La Puma asked him how long it took for the design to come together (approximately the 5:30 mark of the video below).
“Designing it didn’t take too long,” said Ball. “Took about, three or four hours. I was with my man D-Mo, and then when they went to production with it they told me it would be finished and they got it done.”
Lonzo also confirmed that he did take his favorite elements from other shoes and combined them into what he wanted out of the ZO2, which explains why the look was reminiscent of the Kobes.
As for LaVar, you knew he would be on his game with the cameras around, and so he spent the show prancing and dancing around Flight Club, but also offered some insight into his side of the process of creating Big Baller Brand. When he was asked what went down in his meetings with Nike and others, LaVar explained that he wasn’t looking for an endorsement, but wanted a partnership and that BBB was going to be the logo, even if they went with an established manufacturer.
“This is what’s happening with them, they weren’t ready for this change,” Ball said. “Every meeting was with a guy who wanted to endorse. That’s the wrong guy for our meetings. We want co-branding. I need them VPs and CEOs – just like I am. I’m meeting with the wrong people so I’m sending them back and saying ‘I don’t want no endorsement deal.’ That’s where everyone was getting, ‘Oh, LaVar wants a billion dollar endorsement deal!’ I never said I wanted an endorsement deal. You guys endorse. I’m co-branding. Those Triple B’s will be on the shoe.”
That would explain why Ball passed on the $10 million offers from the major shoe companies, and also why the shoe companies passed on Big Baller Brand.
