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Maybe the mishap involving Zion Williamson's sneaker didn't torpedo Nike's standing as a brand, after all.
According to BetOnline.ag, Nike is current favorite to sign Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball to his next shoe deal after Ball decided to leave the Big Baller Brand earlier this week.
Nike -225
Adidas +500
Puma +500
Under Armour +700
Ball's decision to leave his family's organization was definitely a blindsiding decision, as it represented the first time that we have seen Lonzo publicly oppose his father, LaVar.
The 21-year-old, who played his collegiate basketball at UCLA, was originally selected by the Lakers with the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.
However, Ball's NBA career has not gone according to plan thus far.
During his rookie campaign, Ball played in just 52 game due to a knee issue that would ultimately require surgery. He averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 assists, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals over 34.2 minutes per game while shooting 36 percent from the floor, 30.5 percent from three-point range and an abysmal 45.1 percent from the free-throw line.
The Lakers then went on to sign LeBron James this past summer, a move that was supposed to expedite Ball's growth as a player, but Ball wasn't able to stay healthy enough to see that through.
Due to an ankle issue that knocked him out for the season, Ball appeared in only 47 contests this year, registering 9.9 points, 5.4 assists, 5.3 boards and 1.5 steals across 30.3 minutes a night while making 40.6 percent of his field-goal attempts, 32.9 percent of his long-distance tries and 41.7 percent of his foul shots.
While there is still plenty of time for Ball to improve, it's looking more and more like Los Angeles is going to regret taking him over the likes of players such as Jayson Tatum and De'Aaron Fox.
