LaVar Ball and his family has once again made a lot of headlines recently, after Big Baller Brand made LaMelo Ball the first high school basketball player to have his own signature shoe. The move has been very controversial, and even jeopardized his future with UCLA, as he may not be allowed to play in the NCAA already having a sponsorship deal.
Although it is believed that the younger Ball will not be paid by their family’s shoe and apparel brand, LaVar made it clear recently, via Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, that if it comes down to having a shoe deal or playing in the NCAA, the CEO will not pull out the signature sneakers.
“He’s going to have a shoe,” LaVar said. “NCAA ain’t going to tell me [anything]. Because they’re not my boss. That’s what they do, but they’re not going to be like, ‘Oh, LaVar, you can’t bring that shoe out until we tell you.’ What? Something that I’m doing for my family? That’s mine? I’m not under no umbrella.”
The usual path young players take before declaring for the NBA Draft is through the NCAA, especially for highly touted prospects. Despite having two years left in his high school career, the Balls have already verbally committed LaMelo to UCLA, to follow his older brother, Lonzo's, footsteps.
It remains to be seen what the final verdict of the NCAA will be, but one thing certain is the release of the Melo Ball 1s will continue to be a much talked about topic. However, it may also turn out to be another genius marketing plan for LaVar, to bring more attention to his sons, and in the end still get what he wants, just like what happened to Lonzo when he got selected second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers last June.
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