During the 2018-19 NBA season, Lonzo Ball has been dealing with a very personal and important conflict as he sits sidelined by injury for the Los Angeles Lakers.
His Big Baller Brand co-founder, Alan Foster, allegedly stole $1.5 million from him.
Ball recently removed all social media posts regarding Big Baller Brand and it was later revealed him and his family was considering folding the brand altogether and started selling merchandise on their website for 50 percent off.
All of this controversy for a brand that had failed to attract any clients outside of the three Ball brothers begs the question: Why didn’t Ball just sign a traditional shoe deal as a rookie? It’s a fair question and it’s something that likely cost him millions of dollars, according to Nick DePaula of ESPN and Nike:
This is explosive and unfortunate. Great reporting by @RamonaShelburne & team.
By doing the Big Baller Brand venture as a rookie, Lonzo passed on pursuing a traditional shoe deal that could have been worth $15 Million over 5 years, according to several brand sources. https://t.co/4TQxPSwxf0
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) March 22, 2019
All indications have pointed towards Ball eventually signing a deal with Nike since he changed his Instagram profile picture to him as a kid wearing a Nike shirt. However, it will be interesting to see how much the two seasons spent with Big Baller Brand will hurt him — if it hurts him at all.
No matter what happens, Ball will finally be the person making the decision, something that could not have been said up until now. Ball taking control of his career caught the attention of LeBron James, and maybe this sharp turn towards independence will put him back on track as if there never was any Big Baller Brand.