Adidas, Nike, Under Armour not interested in Lonzo Ball endorsement deal
Lonzo Ball is a top NBA draft prospect. He played point guard for UCLA before declaring for the draft. (April 28, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)
If the Ball family are looking for a shoe endorsement from the big three, they will have to look elsewhere.
Adidas, Nike and Under Armour are not interested in an endorsement deal with top NBA draft prospect Lonzo Ball. This would be a first in which a shoe endorsement has stepped away from a potential top NBA draft pick months before the draft.
Ball’s father, LaVar, confirmed to ESPN that the three shoe and apparel companies informed him that they were not interested in doing a deal with his son. LaVar had insisted that the companies license his Big Baller Brand from him and had also showed a shoe prototype that he hoped would be Lonzo’s first shoe.
“We’ve said from the beginning, we aren’t looking for an endorsement deal,” LaVar told ESPN. “We’re looking for co-branding, a true partner. But they’re not ready for that because they’re not used to that model. But hey, the taxi industry wasn’t ready for Uber, either.”
LaVar has been promoting the family’s Big Baller Brand since Lonzo played at Chino Hills High School. The company sells men’s, women’s and children’s apparel ranging from $32 to $100, but LaVar has not disclosed how much the company has made since the company’s inception. He doesn’t want shoe companies to be barred from signing an endorsement deal based on sale numbers.
“When Facebook bought Whatsapp for $19 billion, those guys weren’t profitable,” LaVar said.
LaVar said he will reach out to Chinese brands such as Peak, Li-Ning and Anta, and not leave out the possibility on an entrepreneurial partner outside of the business. He also has Lonzo’s first shoe prototype ready to present.
“We’re not going to sign with a company and then wait around for five or six years for a shoe like Paul George had to wait for with Nike,” Ball said.
Lonzo declared for the NBA draft shortly after UCLA’s 86-76 loss to Kentucky in the NCAA tournament on March 24.
Last week, Nike consultant George Raveling called LaVar “the worst thing to happen to basketball in the last hundred years.”
Twitter: @edmgonzalez
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
