UCLA product and projected top-three NBA draft pick Lonzo Ball unveiled his first sneaker, named the ZO2: Prime, on Thursday and the kicks are fire. The sneakers are available for pre-order on the Big Baller Brand website and retail at $495.
Lonzo Ball’s shoes look great, but Big Baller Brand is charging $495
The black and gold ZO2: Prime sneakers are fire, but are they worth the price tag?
Ball’s sneaker are low-top kicks that feature the comfortable Ortholight insole and a full bed of shock-absorbent material. They feature a Microfiber Python texture in Matte black and have gold accents throughout the shoe.
LaVar Ball reportedly had eyeballed a $200 price tag for Big Baller Brand’s first pair of sneakers, but the new price nearly doubles the report. That retail price would rank higher than the LeBron 14s, the KD 9s, and both James Harden’s and Stephen Curry’s latest sneakers. It would also price higher than Paul George’s inaugural PG1’s, which retail at $109.99.
The bottom of the sneakers feature a custom-painted Big Baller Brand logo.
Ball unveiled the sneaker on Thursday through SLAM Magazine, where he spoke about he and his brothers’ vision of their own signature shoe, about a “brand that they could claim as ours.”
Lonzo’s father LaVar Ball released the sneakers under his own Big Baller Brand after each Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour declined to reach an agreement on an endorsement deal. LaVar was looking for a co-branding partnership that would have allowed Big Baller Brand to release its own sneakers and sign its own athletes under the umbrella of a major sneaker company, like Jordan Brand has with Nike.
Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images
“This isn’t the end of Big Baller Brand, or more importantly, LaVar and his sons’ influence in the sports apparel space. It’s only the beginning.”
The companies were uninterested, though left the door open on a regular endorsement deal with the streak shooter.
LaVar Ball also released the sneaker after he sought a $1 billion combined price tag on shoe deals for each of his three sons, including Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo Ball. LiAngelo enters UCLA as a freshman next summer, and LaMelo is a talented high school junior who has already committed to the Bruins.
Lonzo declared for the 2017 NBA draft with an agent after a single season with the UCLA Bruins. He averaged 14.9 points, 7.6 assists and six rebounds, shooting 41.2 percent from downtown in his freshmen year, leading the Bruins to a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
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