Big Baller Brand just presented themselves with a really big problem

BBB officially unveiled Lonzo Ball’s first signature shoe. It was met with mixed reactions, which has caused concern as to its possible success

It seems as if the most intriguing storyline of the past week has been Lonzo Ball, and the parameters surrounding a possible endorsement deal for him to sign with a sneaker company.

It was first reported earlier this week that he wouldn’t be signing with any of the three major brands (Nike, adidas or Under Armour). But, like any good storyline, the plot got a little bit more interesting.

It was originally reported by ESPN’s Darren Rovell that Lonzo Ball’s first signature shoe was to be revealed today, without him being signed to an endorsement deal. Well, Big Baller Brand did exactly that, giving us our first look of Lonzo’s shoe, and…well…it’s interesting.

Dubbed the Zo2 Prime, Big Baller Brand has set Lonzo Ball’s first signature shoe at a retail price of $495. The initial reaction to the shoe has been less than favorable, which is putting it nicely.

Many criticize its absurdly high price not to mention the overall look of the shoe, both of which could mean bad things for this brand. If few people show a willingness to purchase these shoes, then LaVar Ball’s gamble against lowering his asking price for major brands may have backfired. The less units he sells, the worse it looks on their brand and the harder it will be for them to come to an agreement with a major brand down the line.

Rovell has also quoted Sneaker Analyst Matt Powell, who has this to say on Thursday’s news:

"“This is a setback. None of the shoe companies are going to sign him now.”"

In all likelihood, those comments are largely an overreaction to Lonzo’s ability to sign a deal in the future. Remember, Lonzo could very well leave to sign a deal on his own if he chooses, one where his father wouldn’t be calling the shots. However, that’s very unlikely to happen any time soon mainly because the lack of a deal doesn’t really seem to have an effect on Lonzo. At least, publicly it doesn’t.

There is, however, still a problem that Big Baller Brand is likely to face. One that’s even larger than the shoe’s price, or whether it looks cool or not. The ZO2’s biggest problem may very well be patent and design infringement.

The more you look at the silo, the more you start to realize that the shoe draws a little more than just inspiration from others shoes:

As noted in the thread of that tweet, many aspects of this shoe are almost exactly the same as shoes produced by two of the three major basketball brands: Nike and adidas. The upper, and overall cut of the silhouette very closely resembles the Kobe A.D. Then, if you look at the midsole and outsole, it’s almost identical to the adidas CrazyLight BOOST 2016.

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Which then takes us to its greatest offense: the heel cushioning unit is eerily similar to adidas’ BOOST technology, right?

Overall, this is a very bad look for Big Baller Brand. Other brands (cough, cough Sketchers cough) have done what they’re doing (pulled designs that is) and have been sued because of it, for undisclosed amounts of money. I genuinely don’t know if any lawsuits will come, but it’s very likely BBB will face an infringement suit if they’re seen as a threat.

As of right now, they’re nowhere near that level. In fact, it’s the general consensus that the brand will flop on its own. That means that for the time being, neither Nike nor adidas have any incentive to take BBB to court simply because it may cost them more than what they’d get in return. It’s somewhat of an unfortunate sport for adidas and Nike (no one wants to have their designs to be stolen) but it’s a situation they may have to deal with for the time being.

Though, as Matt Powell said, it will be interesting to see how a future endorsement deal will pan-out for Lonzo Ball. Will the Ball family get what they’re asking for? Will they lower their asking price if their brand doesn’t succeed? No one knows right now, because no one’s really done this before.

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We’re all in the same boat here. There’s no telling how this will all unfold, so we’re all just going to have to wait and see.