Despite speculation among NBA front office personnel that LaVar Ball‘s Big Baller Brand shoes may have contributed to his son Lonzo Ball’s severe knee injury in 2022, the brand continues to survive.
Lonzo Ball discussed this on a 2019 appearance on his then New Orleans Pelicans teammate Josh Hart’s podcast, telling Hart his manager Darren Moore carried around extra pairs of his BBB signature shoes. “No one knows this, but D-Mo had a backpack, and he had like an extra four pairs of shoes in there, because I had to switch them every quarter because they would just rip. I’m like, ‘Yo, I’m not playing in them shoes.’ Like, ‘I don’t care bro.”
The Lakers were so concerned with the shoes that they approached Lonzo and asked him if the shoes from his father’s company had anything to do with his knee injuries, but Ball denied those concerns. Now with the Chicago Bulls, Ball suffered a major injury after a promising start to his 2022 season and questions about those shoes still surround him.
Despite these concerns, LaVar Ball is back with a new and unimproved shoe design, according to Sports Illustrated.
Ball posted the shoes to his Instagram account along with a caption reading, “Yeah you saw them! That’s right, these triple B’s. You know our vibe is getting tight. You’ve gotta get this shirt, ‘Greatness takes balls.’ Look how clean it is. Now if you’re into fashion, get this in black and gold. I’ma tell you what, these right here, coming soon!”
The shoes look like some kind of cross between Yeezys and a scuba flipper with a slit at the top. Atlanta rapper Quavo was an early endorser of the brand, according to Hot Hip Hop. The shoes have not yet been listed on the Big Baller Brand storefront but the shoes will probably be listed with the higher-end shoes, which are priced at $695.
It did not take long for the Internet to Internet, as Ball’s shoe was roasted soundly. One user referred to the shoes as “Mickey Mouse 1’s” while another compared him to “ring chasing Shaq” and others simply just laughed at him.
https://twitter.com/pirates_smoke__/status/1698361449054117939?t=Tgmp1BtXML5Zj_xNOU9IlA&s=19
Big Baller Brand in 2023 https://t.co/vSd2j7evig pic.twitter.com/oPdx2ShXMq
— Swaggy (@Swaggylinzalt) September 2, 2023
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 https://t.co/yhjQ6NRqBU
— Jay💲 (@Jayswizz00) September 3, 2023
https://twitter.com/laflame_6/status/1698358989971480882?t=GqkGBBX2wozRPCck6Za5cw&s=19
https://t.co/D7X4gX0pER pic.twitter.com/H6HpdopkGa
— ☮️&❤️ (@hailxrel) September 3, 2023