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LaVar Ball, who once claimed he could beat Michael Jordan in a game of one-on-one, went on Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take and said that the Big Baller Brand is worth $1 billion.
"Everybody knows it's worth a billion," Ball said (h/t TMZ Sports). "Why do you think they coming at me so hard? They don't want this to take off, baby!"
Ball has done a tremendous job keeping BBB in the spotlight, although the brand has encountered some difficulties in past years.
Namely, New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball, LaVar's oldest son, is suing BBB co-founder Alan Foster and claiming he stole more than $1.5 million from the 22-year-old.
The BBB was also relaunched, but it's unclear how or whether Lonzo and youngest brother LaMelo Ball (a potential top-three NBA draft choice, per Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman) are involved.
As Jordan Greer of Sporting News wrote, neither player is featured on the BBB's new website, with LaVar and middle son LiAngelo Ball on the front page instead.
Still, LaVar Ball apparently has big ideas, per TMZ Sports. The company plans to have "new shoes, shirts, hats and more" as well as an animated television series. Tire rims and BBB water are also apparently in the works.
LaVar Ball said Thursday he doesn't know whether his son, top 2020 NBA draft prospect LaMelo Ball, is going to wear Big Baller Brand sneakers during his pro career.
Ball explained during an appearance on TMZ Live no final decisions have been made amid rumored interest from Nike, which scouted the point guard in Australia, per TMZ Sports.
"Will he be wearing a Big Baller Brand shoe? I don't know," he said. "You guys have to have to stay tuned for that man."
Lonzo Ball, LaMelo's older brother, wore Big Baller Brand shoes when he started his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. In September, he explained on the LightHarted Podcast (via Sporting News' Chelsea Howard) those sneakers couldn't handle the grind of an NBA game.
"Them 'ZO2s' I was playing in, they was not ready," he said. "No one knows this, but D-Mo [manager Darren Moore] 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."
Lonzo split from BBB last March after he discovered $1.5 million was missing from his personal and business accounts. He told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Paula Lavigne he believed Alan Foster, LaVar's friend and company co-founder, "used his access to ... enrich himself."
"This has been a very difficult decision as I had a great deal of love and respect for Alan," Lonzo said. "But the time has come for me to take responsibility for my own career both on and off the court."
After a hiatus, the Big Baller Brand relaunched earlier this month.
LaMelo averaged 17 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.7 threes and 1.6 steals across 12 appearances for the Illawarra Hawks in Australia's National Basketball League before suffering a foot injury in December. He returned to the United States in January to begin final preparations for the draft.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected the 18-year-old guard to get selected second overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in his latest mock draft. That would match Lonzo, who went second to the Lakers in 2017.
Deciding whether he to rep the Big Baller Brand or a more established company like Nike will probably be one of the first major decisions he makes after getting drafted.
LaVar Ball is still trying to keep the Big Baller Brand going, but Lonzo Ball appears done with his family's company.
The New Orleans Pelicans guard appears with his family in the Facebook series Ball in the Family and the latest episode featured a discussion of BBB. LaVar gathered his sons together and asked them to contribute money to help the brand, per Cassandra Negley of Yahoo Sports.
Lonzo didn't appear amused when discussing the conversation in a separate interview on the show:
"Are you shocked to hear your dad say he wants everyone to pool all their resources and go all-in with the brand?" the interviewer asked.
"No, not at all," Lonzo replied. "He wants the brand to do the best it can do."
"Did you lose a lot of money when you invested in BBB?"
"You could say that. Depends on who you talk to."
Ball severed ties with the company in 2019, saying co-founder Alan Foster was unable to account for $1.5 million. He said Foster had "used his access to my business and personal finances to enrich himself." Ball filed a lawsuit against Foster in April alleging Foster stole money from the company and seeking more than $2 million in damages.
LaVar Ball said neither New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball nor top 2020 NBA draft prospect LaMelo Ball are leaving the family's Big Baller Brand despite rumored interest from Nike.
"Lonzo can think all day," LaVar told TMZ Sports in an interview released Monday. "He ain't signing with nobody. Big Baller Brand. That's what I said."
He didn't deny a TMZ report that Nike has a representative tracking LaMelo as he plays for the Illawarra Hawks in Australia's National Basketball League, but he noted that doesn't change anything for the BBB.
"Everybody is scouting LaMelo," LaVar said. "... It's OK, though."
He added: "I said it's a family brand, didn't I?"
The Big Baller Brand came under fire in March when Lonzo told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Paula Lavigne he severed ties with Alan Foster, a BBB co-founder and longtime friend of LaVar, after he discovered an estimated $1.5 million was missing from his personal and business accounts.
"This has been a very difficult decision, as I had a great deal of love and respect for Alan," Lonzo said. "But the time has come for me to take responsibility for my own career, both on and off the court."
LeBron James, Lonzo's former teammate with the Los Angeles Lakers, told Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times he would gladly welcome the point guard to the Nike family. He was also happy to see the 21-year-old UCLA product taking more control over his life.
"I love the fact that he's taking control of his [stuff]," James said. "I mean...that's what's really, really dope to me. Once I saw that story, I just seen a kid turning into a man.
"'This is my career and I'm taking this. ... I done had enough. If I'm not going to be successful, I'm not going to be successful on my terms.'"
LaVar has remained steadfast in the family's commitment to the Big Baller Brand, but it's unclear whether his sons are on the same page.
The Ball family released a statement Thursday in response to former Big Baller Brand partner Alan Foster countersuing LaVar and Lonzo Ball on allegations of fraud.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne shared the statement in a string of tweets:
"Alan Foster's claims are not only unfounded and devoid of any truth, but are an egregious attempt to turn the attention away from the millions of dollars that he embezzled from the Ball Family and the Ball Family Business.
"Not only will LaVar Ball and his family continue to vigorously pursue their civil action against Foster seeking civil damages, but will also continue to cooperate with law enforcement in order to seek justice for his egregious actions.
"Alan Foster is a convicted felon and is currently being investigated by the FBI. He has served seven years in jail for fraud and has a deep criminal past defrauding those who have placed their trust in him.
"The Ball family are all united in relentlessly pursuing Foster for his grave injustices, and will always fight to protect the respected Ball family name, despite Foster's futile attempt to defile it."
Shelburne's report noted The Blast obtained legal documents related to Foster's countersuit that alleged LaVar Ball embezzled more than $2.6 million from Big Baller Brand and other companies to fund his lifestyle.
Lonzo Ball severed ties with Foster in March and filed a suit against him in April for damages of more than $2 million. The New Orleans Pelicans point guard alleged Foster "conspired to embezzle millions of dollars and then divert those funds for his personal use, including to acquire assets in Ethiopia."
The Ball family's statement referenced Foster's legal issues, and Shelburne pointed out he pleaded guilty to a count of mail fraud and two counts of money laundering and was sentenced to more than seven years of prison in 2002.
Lonzo Ball appeared on an episode of HBO's The Shop in May and opened up about how "hurt" he was by Foster, who he once considered "like my second dad."
He also said Foster's actions are why he covered up his Big Baller Brand tattoo on his arm.
NBA players go through plenty of shoes throughout the course of a season, but they aren't supposed to switch them every quarter because the quality is so poor.
That is exactly what Lonzo Ball had to do at times on the Los Angeles Lakers when he wore the Big Baller Brand ZO2 sneaker. The UCLA product revealed as much on the LightHarted Podcast with Josh Hart, saying the shoes were "not ready" and needed to be switched after every quarter:
"'Cause they're my shoe, I had to debut them," he said when asked why he wore them if they were becoming such a problem. "... We went so far with it, I'm like, 'cool I can get a quarter in but that's it.'"
According to a March report from Ramona Shelburne and Paula Lavigne of ESPN.com, Ball severed ties with Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster. The point guard said Foster "used his access to my business and personal finances to enrich himself. As a result, I have decided to sever all ties with Alan, effective immediately."
He also got his Big Baller Brand tattoo covered with a pair of dice in March:
Jacob Rude of USA Today's Lonzo Wire noted the New Orleans Pelicans guard said in a recent episode of his family's Ball in the Family Facebook series that he needed to take a break from the company.
The FBI has launched an investigation into Big Baller Brand co-founder Gregory Alan Foster for alleged fraud, according to the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli and Richard Winton.
Ganguli notes that the FBI investigation could be at least two months old:
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball and Big Baller Brand filed a lawsuit against Foster earlier this month, saying he was conspiring "to steal millions of dollars."
The lawsuit says Foster—who owns 16.3 percent of the company—made at least $1.5 million in unexplained cash withdrawals between 2016 and 2018. The lawsuit is seeking more than $2 million in damages.
Lonzo told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne that he cut ties with Foster because he "used his access to my business and personal finances to enrich himself. As a result, I have decided to sever all ties with Alan, effective immediately."
According to Shelburne, Foster was sentenced to over seven years in prison back in 2002 after "pleading guilty to one count of mail fraud and two counts of money laundering as part of a scheme that defrauded 70 investors of $4 million." Per Shelburne, the pending lawsuit says Foster never informed the Ball family of his criminal history.
Foster's relationship with the Ball family spans nearly a decade, dating back to Lonzo's days in grade school. As Ganguli and Winton noted, LaVar Ball had previously called Foster his "brother," while Lonzo suggested the business partner was "like my second dad."
Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball reportedly has found his next agency.
On Monday, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported the UCLA product signed with Creative Artists Agency after he mutually split with former agent Harrison Gaines.
"After thinking about this decision over the last few weeks, I concluded that CAA made the most sense for my career both on and off the court," Ball said. "With CAA now in place to manage my basketball career, I can focus my attention and energy on training for the upcoming season."
Shelburne was the first to report Ball split with Gaines but pointed out the Lakers point guard emphasized the decision did not have anything to do with the drama surrounding Big Baller Brand.
Rather, Ball said Gaines supported him as he elected to sue former Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster for at least $2 million .
Ball even had his tattoo of the Big Baller Brand logo converted into a pair of dice:
The decision to sign with CAA comes after Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times reported Ball’s father, LaVar, was not involved in the search for his next agency. Shelburne cited sources who said LaVar has engaged CAA in discussions but has not made any specific decisions regarding Big Baller Brand and his other sons, LiAngelo and LaMelo.
As for Lonzo, he has dealt with injuries and inconsistent play since the Lakers selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft. He played 52 games as a rookie and 47 games this season and has career averages of 10.0 points, 6.4 assists and 6.2 rebounds a night.
More evidence has dropped that suggests Big Baller Brand appears headed for its end after three years.
Christian Rivas of Lonzo Wire reported on Saturday that the brand's website, BigBallerBrand.com, now leads to a Shopify page.
The shutdown signs have been apparent for weeks. Ramona Shelburne and Paula Lavigne of ESPN.com reported on March 25 that Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, whose father LaVar co-founded the brand, revealed to them that he was missing $1.5 million.
Ball alleged BBB co-founder Alan Foster was responsible for the loss, saying he "used his access to my business and personal finances to enrich himself."
Ball, who TMZ Sports reports filed a lawsuit against Foster, also appeared to sever his relationship with the Big Baller Brand. As Rivas reported, Ball covered up a BBB tattoo and erased brand mentions on his social media accounts.
LaVar Ball told TMZ Sports that the brand wasn't shutting down:
However, the site's current state seems to indicate otherwise.
