Big Baller Brand turned down by Anta for partnership agreement

LaVar Ball's Big Baller Brand was turned down by another competing shoe company for a partnership this summer.

Big Baller Brand is still on the lookout for a partner willing to invest in helping become a dual brand, and the first of its kind.

That recently led owner LaVar Ball to Chinese company Anta, after failing to convince Nike and Adidas and Under Armour, that his billion dollar asking price is a worthwhile business endeavor.

Nick DePaula of ESPN.com reported on Friday that Anta has also declined several requests from Big Baller Brand for private label manufacturing.

This move all but leaves Ball with almost no options left as all of the major shoe and apparel companies are no longer in discussions regarding shoe deals with Big Baller Brand or Lakers rookie sensation Lonzo Ball.

Elder Ball has taken a great amount of criticism for skipping over the traditional route for signing a shoe deal for his son but reveals in an article written in SLAM magazine that he's also trying to send a message to the youth.

Big Baller Brand wants to show the next generation that there's a difference between building wealth and just being rich. This isn't about getting that early money—just another athlete signing a regular endorsement deal. That would have been the easier route. But we've embarked on a mission. We want to go beyond just inspiring athletes. It's about those small business owners that stay up at night plotting their next move and figuring out how to stay afloat.

While his methods of actually building the brand itself have become a very controversial topic even among those who do believe in him pursuing ownership, Ball is unmoved and adds more.

We just want to inspire people and show them that there's a different lane you can travel in. It's OK to step out and do it another way. Only a select few will do it, but folks will start creating their own brands like we've done with BBB, and more and more families will begin feeling comfortable with betting on themselves.

To date, the Big Baller Brand ZO2 shoe has sold over 700 pairs prior to Ball's first NBA game, but remain outrageously expensive due to overhead and manufacturing costs.