One of the reasons why Lonzo Ball has been talked about so much ahead of his debut as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers has been his decision to have his own signature shoe with the Big Baller Brand, as opposed to signing a traditional shoe deal with the likes of Nike or Adidas.
The decision to stick with his own brand is something that is unheard of in this day and age and he could be leaving millions of dollars on the table. Even still, many people respect Ball for not following the trend.
One of those players who likes what Lonzo is doing is Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson who praised Ball for having the confidence to have his own brand in an interview with Brian Josephs of Bleacher Report:
I actually like it. I feel like he’s confident in his own brand, and he got the guts to do it himself—make your own sneaker and put it out there. You gotta hope the people like it and live up to high expectations. So he’s putting a lot on the line. It’s tough for a rookie, but if you got that confidence, you can do it.
Stephenson didn’t stop there however, claiming that he will buy a pair of Big Baller Brand shoes if Lonzo plays well during the season:
Yeah, definitely. If he plays good on the court, of course I’ll buy his shoe. If he ain’t doing LS: nothing. I ain’t buying it. But if he’s killing it on the court and living up to expectations, I’ll buy his shoe.
Stephenson wouldn’t be the biggest name to buy a pair of BBB shoes as hip-hop mogul Jay-Z has already said that he has bought a pair. It is nice to see that at least some players would support Lonzo in his bold decision.
As is the case with everything else, the pressure will now be on Lonzo to perform once the games matter. If he can help the Lakers become a contender there will be no limit to what he can do off the court.