Confidence is something the public knows Lavar Ball doesn’t lack. After Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas reportedly turned down shoe deals for the projected top-two NBA Draft pick Lonzo Ball because Lavar wanted each company to license his Big Baller Brand, his confidence shouldn’t change at all.
The father of arguably the most talked about family in basketball understands the value of his company, Big Baller Brand. His sons, Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo have all been the top prospects in each of their respective recruiting classes. Lavar made headlines after seemingly every interview he’s been a part of this year and his comments have reached Charles Barkley, LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Lavar is something we’ve never seen before in modern-day prep sports. To have three highly-recruited sons at stages of their careers where everyone except for them is allowed to make money off of their name, flipped the scenario around and branded themselves before others did.
Once again, Lavar needs to be respected instead of scolded for standing his ground in the shoe company negotiations.
According to the Business Insider, in 2015 UCLA brought $7.5 million dollars into its athletic program from Adidas. The attention the Ball brothers are bringing back to the men’s basketball program should only contribute to the record-breaking 15-year, $280 million apparel deal Bruins’ athletics just signed with Under Armour, which goes into effect this summer.
“How do I exploit something that is mine? I created these boys. This is my family business,” Lavar said in an interview with ESPN writer Ian O’Connor. “We are going to build this empire for the family.”
GOOD Music artist Cyhi the Prince added his opinion of Lavar’s approach.
https://twitter.com/CyhiThePrynce/status/858005318474903554
Lavar knows the worth of his family and his business, which is an important lesson for anyone to understand. He’s built the most interesting story in basketball in quite some time and one day his vision will be realized.
