Alan Foster is looking for a big payday from his former business partner.
Foster, the co-founder of Big Baller Brand, is suing LaMelo Ball, his parents LaVar and Tina, and PUMA over claims of trademark infringement and other acts of fraud.
Foster claims that he created the idea for LaMelo’s “MB1” signature shoe when the Charlotte Hornets guard was a teenager. He claims he filed numerous federal trademarks for the shoe and LaMelo infringed on them when he signed with Puma in 2020 and launched his “MB.01” shoe with the brand. Foster is seeking over $200 million in damages.
“LaMelo was instrumental in creating his first signature show with Big Baller Brand,” the lawsuit said. “He was fully aware of the existence of the LaMelo Trademarks — he helped design them.
“He knew that his Big Baller Brand signature show was called the ‘MB1’ and that the name was protected by federal trademark. Yet, despite his knowledge of all of this, LaMelo willfully and deliberately chose to name the signature shoe he created and designed with Puma the ‘MB1’ in violation of the LaMelo Trademarks.”
Foster was the head of many of the business ventures that BBB participated in until 2019 when Lonzo Ball alleged that he defrauded the family out of $1.5M while also learning that he had a criminal past. Later that year, Foster filed a lawsuit against the family, claiming that LaVar embezzled $2.5M from BBB to finance his personal life.
