By now, most every NBA fan is all too familiar with LaVar Ball. The patriarch of the basketball playing Ball family and No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball is a ubiquitous presence on the sports TV circuit, whether he’s on in person or simply being talked about, and there’s even a reality show in the works about the Ball clan. He’s loud, brash, and at times controversial, but he’s unavoidable.
That said, the television persona of LaVar Ball, who is relentless in marketing his trio of sons and their budding sneaker and apparel company Big Baller Brand, appears to be only part of the man. He’s always loud and he’s always wanting to talk about his boys, but there’s more to Big Baller Brand than just being he and his son bucking the system.
Ball wrote a feature about Big Baller Brand and what he hopes to accomplish with it for SLAM Magazine, released on Thursday, that offers a glimpse into the mind of LaVar and why there’s more thought put into the BBB movement than many would expect. Ball explained that, beyond the hope that BBB is successful, he wants it to start a conversation among top prospects and their families about how they can gain more control over their brands from the start.
Our family’s movement is about letting other parents and prospects know, “Hey, you don’t have to feel pressured into thinking that there aren’t many options. There’s a different route that you can take in this.”
All we want to do is plant the seed and watch it grow. Show people that it can be done. Show parents that it’s possible: We don’t need the big companies. They need us. And so we should work together.
Ball went on to note that he hopes it creates more pressure on shoe companies to give more creative control and more equity to their star athletes beyond the seven or eight-figure contracts.
Let’s say the top five picks in each of the next five drafts say they don’t want an endorsement deal. Or, if they do decide they want to sign an endorsement deal, they immediately ask, “Where’s my signature shoe? Can I get it by next month?” Then what?
I hope prospects and their parents start to visualize this. If you don’t invest in your own, who will?
Ten years from now, people will look back and understand what I was saying.
There’s a difference between being famous, rich and wealthy. Anybody can become famous and get rich. But can you stay rich? That’s the hard part and that’s where wealth comes in.
Ball’s message is clear, he wants prospects and their parents to think differently about what’s possible from the beginning of their careers. He notes that it might not be successful for everyone, but that the change is coming and he thinks Big Baller Brand is a jumping off point for that conversation about what prospects should demand early in their career. Very few players get a signature shoe immediately on a sneaker deal. Most shoe companies, smartly, wait to ensure that the on-court product lives up to they hype before fully investing in branding a signature sneaker to the masses.
While that’s smart for the sneaker company, it means the earning potential for the young player is less. It’s usually not until a third or fourth year in the league that a player has earned a signature sneaker — Kevin Durant and LeBron James are the most notable recent exceptions. While I’m skeptical of the immediate impact Big Baller Brand will have on the sneaker market and how prospects handle negotiations with shoe companies, if it is successful then there will certainly be a long-term effect.
Ball also tried to explain his tweet about people not being “big ballers” if they don’t buy the $495 shoes his company is putting out by putting a more positive spin on his statement.
This movement isn’t about throwing away a bunch of money. When I said, “You’re not a big baller if you don’t buy these shoes,” it was about dedication, discipline and following your goals to earn enough to purchase something you want to own. Not just a dream, but a goal—you can dream all day, but when you have goals, you have a timeline.
As of now, BBB isn’t a brand the masses are saving up to purchase the way they might with Jordan, Nike, or adidas, but maybe one day we’ll be talking about retro Big Baller Brand drops the same way.
