Here’s How Many Other Signature Shoes You Could Buy For The Price Of Lonzo Ball’s Sneaker


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The first signature shoe put out by Big Baller Brand, the ZO2 for Lonzo Ball, was unveiled on Thursday. The shoe itself looks fine. It’s got a similar low-top look to the ever-popular run of Kobe Bryant signature shoes by Nike, and while the all-black look isn’t especially flashy, it’s executed better than many single-color shoes.

However, this did not stop the ZO2 from getting roasted by the internet, because the price point for the shoe is a ridiculous $495 ($695 for those with size 14 and up feet). There’s also an autographed edition selling for $995 and a pair of slide sandals with Lonzo’s logo going for $220. The company says it wants to go for the high-end fashion market with their sneakers, not the standard basketball shoe market that is cornered so heavily by Nike, Jordan, adidas, and Under Armour.

While that may be the case, it’s impossible not to compare them to other hoops shoes. These aren’t lifestyle or fashion shoes – and if they were he wouldn’t be the first to try that, as Russell Westbrook’s signature with Jordan isn’t a hoops shoe, but a lifestyle shoe. These are basketball shoes, so it’s natural to look at how much more they are than other signature shoes.

Using company website pricing – thus avoiding sales or promos run by stores – I decided to look at how many pairs of each of the major brand signature shoes on the market currently you could get for the price of one standard (non-autograph) edition of the ZO2s.
Nike

Kobe A.D. NXT ($200): Two pairs, with $95 leftover
LeBron XIV ($175): Two pairs, with $145 leftover
Kobe A.D. ($160): Three pairs, with $15 leftover
KD 9 ($150): Three pairs, with $45 leftover
Kyrie 3 ($120): Four pairs, with $15 leftover
PG 1 ($110): Four pairs, with $55 leftover

Jordan

Jordan XXXI ($185): Two pairs, with $115 leftover
Melo M13 ($135): Three pairs, with $90 leftover
CP3.X ($125): Three pairs, with $120 leftover

adidas

Harden Vol. 1 ($140): Three pairs, with $75 leftover
Crazy Explosive Primeknit ($140): Three pairs, with $75 leftover
D Rose 7 ($140): Three pairs, with $75 leftover
Dame 3 ($115): Four pairs, with $35 leftover

Under Armour

Curry 3 ($99.99, formerly $139.99): 4 pairs, with $95.04 leftover

In summation, you could buy an awful lot of basketball shoes for the price of one ZO2. You could load up on your favorite colorways of other signatures, and even dip into the retro Jordan market if you wanted — the most expensive shoe on the Nike Jordan site is a Jordan 5 Premium that clocks in at $400. I’m never going to tell you not to spend $500 on shoes, because I’ve done it, but all I’ll say is that there are ways you can maximize those funds.

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