The Ball family’s fledgling shoe and apparel company, Big Baller Brand, caused quite a stir a few months back when they announced that Laker rookie Lonzo Ball‘s first signature sneaker, the Z02, would retail for an astounding $495 bucks a pop. But during Wednesday night’s Summer League Game against the Sixers, Lonzo inevitably courted controversy when he showed up wearing the Kobe ADs.
Notice anything about this photo of Zo? *hint: 👟 pic.twitter.com/BqLO7PtDTc
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) July 13, 2017
Lonzo Ball takes the court for Summer League warmups. He's wearing…..this Nike Kobe AD: pic.twitter.com/5nrDRLCLP6
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) July 13, 2017
It was likely nothing more malicious than a simple homage to the franchise legend whose metaphorical shoes he’s been tapped to fill as he embarks on his NBA career, but it was more than enough to get people talking on social media, including one particularly high-profile superstar who happened to be in attendance for the game in Las Vegas Wednesday night.
After a rocky start in his Summer League debut, Lonzo followed up his previous triple-double with another eye-popping performance, scoring 36 points and dishing out 11 assists. And none of those dimes were more spectacular than this Kevin-Love-like full-court touchdown pass to streaking teammate Kyle Kuzma.
Lonzo Ball with a full-court dime to Kyle Kuzma 💰 #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/PFUHlnGzmC
— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 13, 2017
What’s more, the Lakers managed to eke out a 103-102 victory over Philadelphia. Yet neither his drastically-improved play nor his footwear choices are likely to quiet all the chatter surrounding him as the immense hype together with the family patriarch’s bombastic personally continue to make him a target for his detractors.
