Lonzo Ball Is Passed On By Nike, adidas And Under Armour
By Wardell
NBA Rumors: Lozno Ball has been passed on by Nike, adidas and Under Armour
Only 61 days away from the 2017 NBA draft, and one of this year’s top prospects is already making history. Former UCLA standout Lonzo Ball, who many predict as a top-two selection, will be entering the draft without an endorsement deal with adidas, Under Armour or Nike. Not because Ball passed on their offers, but because neither of the three brands hold any interest anymore.
As ESPN’s Darren Rovell noted, this is the first time in modern sneaker endorsement history that the top brands have all stepped away from a prospect with as much potential that Lonzo Ball appears to have.
This should not be taken as an attack on perceived Lonzo’s ability, but a clear statement that they aren’t willing to bend to the will of his father, LaVar Ball.
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LaVar has made it well-known that he doesn’t want a traditional endorsement deal for his sons, he wants a partnership. The hope is, or at least it was, to find a company that wanted to co-brand with his own start-up, the Big Baller Brand.
In theory, that meant Lonzo would wear gear/apparel that would be produced and manufactured by their endorser, but would feature the Big Baller Brand logo. It can also be assumed that a potential deal would include BBB’s ability to design products while utilizing a given brands top technologies.
"[via ESPN]“We’ve said from the beginning, we aren’t looking for an endorsement deal,” LaVar told ESPN. “We’re looking for co-branding, a true partner. But they’re not ready for that because they’re not used to that model. But hey, the taxi industry wasn’t ready for Uber, either.”"
It’s pretty clear now that’s not going to happen.
Oddly enough, the biggest shock is adidas passing up on a deal, not Nike. Adidas endorses UCLA, which was the school Lonzo is coming from as well as the school his brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo are committed to. So it makes some sense if they’d want to keep the family for the long-haul. But the weight (annoyance?) of LaVar’s views were enough to deter the Three Stripes.
Even with this apparent setback, LaVar remains undeterred.
Obviously this isn’t an ideal scenario for the Ball family, but it’s their reality. For better or worse, LaVar believes he’s acting in the best interest of his son Lonzo. You very well may disagree with what he’s trying to do, but he isn’t going to change anytime soon. The only question should be about what they, as a family and brand, decide to do next.
Evaluating the secondary market
Lonzo Ball will now look to the secondary brands, namely Anta, BrandBlack, Li-Ning or Peak, for a deal. Not because he necessarily wants to, but because he has no other choice at this point. The thing is, it won’t be easy to make a deal happen.
If you first look at it from the Balls’ perspective, those brands aren’t likely to provide what LaVar is demanding. They’re unlikely to pay much, and their technologies aren’t quite on the levels of Under Armour’s, Nike’s or adidas’. Not to mention the lack of the secondary brands’ popularities.
What I’m basically trying to say is, they’re secondary brands for a reason.
Even though their products are really good, Li-Ning, Anta, Peak and BrandBlack aren’t that popular because they’re relatively new and unknown. It’s unfortunate, but that’s just the way it is. They are, however, very promising brands who each appear to have solid futures. So it could very well come down to whether Lonzo and LaVar are willing to stick it out with a developing company similar to their own.
Now, on the other side of things, would any of those brands even want to offer a deal?
LaVar is demanding a lot, so much so that even the secondary brands my pass up on Lonzo Ball. It may sound crazy, but no company would feel comfortable with someone demanding as much power as LaVar is. Especially not if they can reason moving forward without partnering with the Big Baller Brand.
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Anta seems to be pretty confident sticking with Klay Thompson as their main basketball line going forward, and are likely to make re-signing him a priority (though Under Armour may have something to say about that). They’re already on their second shoe of Thompson’s signature line, the KT2 (featured above) and it’s been a success in its own way. Anta wanted a great performance shoe, and they have it. Their next move is to gain popularity, and I’m not sure Lonzo Ball will be a part of that goal.
Then there’s Li-Ning, who currently produces Dwyane Wade’s signature line, the Way of Wade. While there’s potential for a deal between the two, it seems highly unlikely given the brand’s history. Li-Ning has always signed older players who fail to garner much interest from any of the major brands. Their goal, to cash-in on those athletes’ popularity amongst Li-Ning’s target market: China. They’re a Chinese brand and they sell fairly well in China because older, notable players are favorites in China. So, there’s probably not going to be deal between them and Lonzo Ball.
Peak’s situation is eerily similar to Li-Ning’s, so let’s mark them off too.
But then there’s BrandBlack, who currently finds themselves without a signature basketball line since Jamal Crawford left their roster to sign with adidas last October. If you’re unfamiliar with BrandBlack then you should know one thing, they’re legit. Their founder and lead designer, Dave Raysse has a résumé that includes his work with FILA on their Grant Hill line and adidas on their Tracy McGrady line. He also designed Crawford’s line, the J Crossover, which is somewhat of a cult favorite.
Let’s stop talking about the past, and start talking about what BrandBlack is right now. Their main basketball shoe is the RARE METAL, which is highly praised by many of the top performance shoe reviewers in this industry. BrandBlack has shown with both the RARE METAL and the J Crossover line that they can make great performance shoes that, admittedly, look pretty dope. The only problem stems with why Crawford left for adidas: money.
Unfortunately, BrandBlack isn’t popular enough to make big time offers like their fellow secondary brands can. It may be in their best interest to pursue a deal with Lonzo Ball as far as growth is concerned, but it may require LaVar to lower his asking price. If not, then BrandBlack simply can’t afford to Big Baller Brand.
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If LaVar can’t come to terms with a secondary brand, then he’ll pursue an independent partner. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I can tell you right now, that won’t work out. For Big Baller Brand to succeed, it’s going to need more than just the on-court success of Lonzo Ball. They’ll need to work with someone familiar with this industry. But companies don’t want to so long as LaVar keeps acting the way he has toward their brands. Even still, it seems pretty clear BBB can’t do this alone and the Ball family has to do whatever they can to find a suitable partner.
Who knows, maybe we’ll get to see a revitalization of Roos or DaDa.