Lavar Ball wants you to pay more for Lonzo’s first sneaker than the LeBron XIV

LaVar Ball and Big Baller Brand hope to release a debut sneaker for Lonzo Ball’s rookie season. The price tag will be in the $200 range, according to The Vertical’s Nick DePaula.

That would price the UCLA standout’s signature kicks ahead of All-Stars and MVP candidates like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and James Harden.

Lonzo is projected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, but he has no endorsement offers from any of the three major sneaker companies in Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour. It’s the first time a top draft prospect has been shut out of the Big 3 of kicks corporations.

That’s because LaVar Ball has pushed for a co-branded partnership with whichever company intends to sign him, which would allow Big Baller Brand to operate underneath the parent umbrella. That’s like Jordan Brand, which signs athletes and has its own sneaker line as part of the Nike family.

Ball has also set the bar high, claiming he and his sons will settle for no less than a combined $1 billion deal over the life of the contract. That prompted Nike CEO Phil Knight to call Ball’s asking price “a bit steep,” and company consultant George Raveling to call Ball himself “the worst thing to happen to basketball in the last hundred years.”

Lonzo Ball is projected as the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft after an impressive freshman season leading the UCLA Bruins to a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament.

It would rank Lonzo ahead of the league’s stars with the priciest basketball kicks out.

LeBron James’ LeBron XIV retails at $175, with the customizable XIV iD series ringing up $220 before tax. Kevin Durant’s latest KD9 comes in at $150, while James Harden’s Harden Vol. 1 Series with Adidas run $140. Under Armour debuted Steph Curry’s Curry 3’s at $149.99, but has since slashed the price to $99.99.

And Paul George’s debut sneaker, the PG1, hit shelves this year at $109.99.

For some players, sneaker price is a status symbol. When Durant’s KD9 dropped last June, its $150 tag was $30 cheaper than that of its predecessor, the KD8. But it was still nearly twice as expensive as his debut sneaker, the KD1, that retailed for $88.

“As humbly as I can say it, I’m not a $88 player,” Durant said, according to Nick DePaula. “I’m an elite player in the league. I wanted everything to be affordable, but I knew we had to sacrifice some stuff.”

LaVar Ball thinks the world of his son. He’s twice claimed Lonzo Ball is better than Curry, a two-time league MVP. And at his $200 price tag, he’s doubled down on those sentiments.

Now only two questions remain: Can Lonzo’s play back up his father’s talk? And more importantly, will the kicks be fire?