The Big Baller Brand is getting bigger, more baller, and more branded.
In lieu of playing in a less-competitive Lithuanian league, LaVar Ball found a way to get his sons, LiAngelo and LaMelo, more playing time in the foreign country, per Jeff Goodman of ESPN.
Prienu Vytautas, the Lithuanian team that signed LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball, has withdrawn from the Baltic Basketball League this season and will instead play in the Big Baller Brand Challenge, a series of five “friendly” games intended to get the brothers extensive playing time.
The games will be broadcast on Facebook, where “Ball in the Family” also airs. Goodman reported that as a result of the new challenge, the Ball brothers will generate about $120,000 dollars for the team, in addition to money that Facebook will pay to broadcast the five games.
“When you come out and they change it just for the Balls,” LaVar Ball told ESPN, “you know it's real.”
On the surface, this looks like a selfish, self-aggrandizing move for the Balls. But if given more thought, it actually makes a lot of sense.
The Balls generated more revenue for the team, which is always a good thing. The LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball will get the opportunity to play more, which translates to more basketball experience at high levels.
And not to mention, it's a big boost for the brand, which seems like the only motivation for much of what LaVar does and says anyway.
So, while people may be upset that the Balls are acting a big like divas, their media circus has helped the Lithuanian team in this case. However, LaMelo and LiAngelo must show up at the games to make this strategy sustainable.
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