I regret to inform you all that LaVar Ball is at it again. In the midst of proclaiming that in his prime he could beat Michael Jordan one-on-one (no, not one of his three basketball prodigy sons, but he himself), he also laid out what it will take for one of the major shoe brands — Nike, adidas or Under Armour — to sign his sons.
Ball told USA Today that it will take a billion dollars (that is billion with a b) to get his trio of hooping sons — Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo.
“A billion dollars, it has to be there,” Ball said. “That’s our number, a billion, straight out of the gate. And you don’t even have to give it to me all up front. Give us $100 mil over 10 years.”
How kind of him to cut such a generous deal to allow a company to pay $100 million a year for 10 years. Considering LeBron James just got a lifetime deal with Nike worth $1 billion, it’s safe to say the Balls are not going to get this from anyone. However, LaVar isn’t crazy (even if it sounds that way). Ball knows not to low ball his sons value (pun intended), and by setting the asking price at $1 billion, maybe he increases their entry level value a little bit for when a legitimate offer comes.
If not, and he’s serious about that number, LaVar will happily lean back on his “Big Baller Brand” plans and hope that his three sons blow up the way that he has proclaimed they will at the highest level. Lonzo will be the first to reach the NBA, as one of the 2017 NBA Draft’s highest rated prospects, while LiAngelo (a high school senior) and LaMelo (a high school sophomore) are still a bit away. For pundits hoping Ball will stop talking, they best not hold their breath. He’s going to keep speaking out and saying outlandish things and maybe he’ll speak something into existence.
