LaMelo Ball pulled off a surprising move last week by leaving Big Baller Brand to join Puma. As one of the top sneaker free agents on the market, Ball likely commanded an impressive figure in inking his deal with Puma.
But given both how little buzz there was about Ball taking offers from brands and his connection with Big Baller Brand, the news was entirely unexpected. LaVar, the outspoken founder of BBB and the father of the Ball boys, has long been stubborn in his approach to working with other brands, memorably putting the starting price for a family shoe deal at $1 billion.
LaVar joined Complex’s Full Size Run to talk a host of things, including his thoughts on LaMelo joining Puma.
“That’s not a thing where I’m like ‘Hey man, don’t sign with Puma. Don’t do this. I’m just letting ya’ll know I’m here for ya’ll. So, when this thing don’t go the way you want it, your MB1 stuff is still over here for ya’ll. G3 is still over here, ZO2 stuff is still over here with Big Baller Brand because we’re a family brand.’ Those are representations that me and my wife had for our boys and that’s always going to be that. And it’s not a big deal with you doing other things. It’s ok. But you’re always going to be affiliated with Big Baller Brand no matter what.”
In hindsight, and even in the moment, it’s not surprising that LaMelo left Big Baller Brand. He had grown distant from the brand even prior to the Alan Foster allegations that forced the company to reset. Despite receiving a signature shoe that likely was the smoking gun in his NCAA ineligibility, LaMelo hardly ever seemed committed to the brand.
It’s nice to see LaVar, then, taking a step back from his stubborn public stance. Instead of issuing some form of an ultimatum, allowing the Big Baller Brand to live on without him as a fallback plan offers some form of security. And by not closing off the brand, it could even open up the possibility for a potential collaboration between Puma and Big Baller Brand in the future.
