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So who's getting a pair of these?

Big Baller Shoes

Big Baller Brand unveils debut ZO2 shoe for Lonzo Ball


LaVar Ball's Big Baller Brand on Thursday unveiled the ZO2 shoe line that he designed for his son Lonzo, with the main pair debuting at $495 on the company's website.

A Lonzo Ball-autographed pair of the shoes, in the "Wet" color scheme, are being sold for $995. Sandals with Lonzo Ball's logo on the top are $220 per pair.

The main shoe, at the aforementioned price of $495, has a "microfiber python texture" in matte black and what the website describes as a "Delorean finish."

In the past two years, the highest price for a pair of Jordan shoes released en masse to the public has been $400.

Last week, ESPN reported that major shoe companies expressed they weren't interested in the deal pitched to them by LaVar Ball in which they would have to license his Big Baller Brand. The shoes Ball had already designed were part of the pitch.

"We said from the beginning, we aren't looking for an endorsement deal," Ball said last week. "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."

The Big Baller Brand sells its gear on its website, with shirts and hats ranging from $38 to $100.

According to the website, all sales of the ZO2 are final and there could be a wait for fans to get a pair. The website says there will be no refunds or exchanges and that the shoes would be shipped by Nov. 24.

Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, whose shoes retail for between $13 and $68 at Walmart, weighed in with his thoughts on the ZO2 in a tweet Thursday.

Acting Golden State Warriors head coach Mike Brown also isn't interested in buying his kid $500 shoes, saying simply, "Uh, no!"

LaVar Ball seemed to answer critics who said the shoes are too expensive.

"You have to respect LaVar being entrepreneurial, betting on himself and trying to build a business," said Jason Stein, CEO of New York-based ad agency Laundry Service. "He's a larger-than-life character and generating a ton of attention. The shoes are nothing special and grossly overpriced, but I suspect that's intentional. In the context of building a brand -- his brand -- it's working."

Lonzo Ball, who played one year at UCLA, is projected to be among the top three picks in the NBA draft, which takes place June 22.

Matt Powell, who covers the shoe business for NPD Group, a market retail tracking firm, called Ball's first signature shoe announcement "a setback" for Lonzo Ball.

"None of the shoe companies are going to sign him now," he said.

"They could sell 10,000 pairs, but I don't see that as a threat to anybody," Powell said. This will be very short lived. And I think, in the end, LaVar has cost his family a lot of money. For Lonzo alone, he could have gotten $2 million a year (for four or five years) on a rookie shoe deal and then, if he was good, could have re-signed for a lot more."

Powell said that initial sales might be fool's gold.

"The first Marbury shoe (sold by discount store Steve & Barry's) sold out and then the rest of them sat on the shelves," Powell said. "Collectors might by these first pairs, but sustaining that momentum is difficult."

$500 is expensive, but the Balls can't benefit from economies of scale like the big brands can. They don't have all that infrastructure in place already. If Lonzo ends up being any good, there will probably be at least a niche market for them. Landing in LA is probably the best situation for the brand.

Definitely not for me, but I'm not that big on Jordans either.

I would never buy a pair of shoes for a fourth of that. I understand having nice shoes is imperative in athletics, but I wouldn't do it.

Not to mention I'm SO tired of hearing about this dude. He's getting publicity though.

I do fork out a little extra cash for shoes, usually Nikes because they last awhile, but wow - there's no way I would even consider that sort of money for shoes.

$220 for flip flops? You'd need to be insane lol, or just have money that is causing you pain, deep pain, by keeping it or something.

I just love how this father is using his son to find fame and "earn" money.

dude has done more to hurt his kid than I think any parent should do.. Lavar is trash and just needs to go away..Can't believe people still make this dude relevant..

500$ for a sneaker is ridiculous. I just don't get that.......... I own some very expensive jeans that feel fancy, but they're hand me downs given to me by my mother-in-law (who got them from this guy she works for). I dunno if they're even fancy though or if it's cause my mother-in-law uses fabric softener when she washes the guy's clothes.

Either way, I don't think I own anything that's 500$, not to mention a pair of basketball sneakers. And with kids, they outgrow sneakers and wear them out so fast, i could never justify that.



I think this LaVar Ball is really putting a ridiculous amount of pressure on his son. He's what's wrong today in college basketball too. I just have this feeling this kid is going to crash and burn. He's a good player, from what I saw, he's quick, seems to have a good basketball IQ and finds open guys.

But he is not the college player that Derrick Rose, John Wall, Jason Williams or Kyrie Irving were. 500$ is a lot of money to pay for a shoe worn by some kid who has never matched up against the likes of Lebron, Kawhai, Harden, Westbrook, Curry, Issiah Thomas, John Wall, and so on.

IMO, this is too soon for a kid that is having unreasonable expectations put on him. I mean Kris Dunn this past season was only playing 17 min a night and putting up 4 points a game. And Kris Dunn left college as a far better player than Ball. The NBA is the best of the best, this kid will be humbled really really quick.

This daddy has alienated his son in college, put a huge target on his kid in the pros, and seems more interested in this "Brand" than he is in making sure his son is a stable, good person, and put in the best opportunity to succeed as a basketball player

I despise what Ball has done. I wouldn't pay a cent for anything that has his name attached to it.

Agreed. The guy has shown himself to be obsessed with fame, generated by the skills of his son.

But like I said, the NBA is the big pond. It's probably the most competitive sports league that exists (at least in organized team sports). There's only like 12 guys on a roster, 30 teams, and how many people play the sport.

This 19 year old kid is going to get humbled really quick when he finds out what it's like to play guys who are professionals and have been working at their craft for years and years.

It's like the father has taken a kid that's only competed in Go-Kart Racing and told him to get into a NASCAR cause he's signed up for the Daytona 500. Or like, taking the training wheels off your kid's bicycle and entering them in the Tour De France.

The kid seems like a nice enough kid, but he could really use a different mentor than this father of his. First real adversity he sees on the NBA court and people will do what they can to crush him. This is America, it's what we do. And this father set his son up for this with 500$ shoes and outlandish claims and promotion

most i ever paid for a pair of kicks is 200

I think the most for me is 120$ for running shoes, back when i used to do like track & cross country in high school.

Only fancy basketball shoes I ever got was a pair of Shaqs in elementary school. I got my Grandma to buy me the pair. Then a couple weeks later, the Shaq Pumps came out and some classmate of mine had those. Then I just felt kinda silly, cause he said his shoes were better than mine cause his were the pumps which made you faster and jump higher (one shoes pump did one thing, one did another). That was about it. And i'm sure they weren't too expensive cause my Grandma would have told me I was crazy if they were

Wow

Well, if you got the money to blow.

Actually interesting (to me).

Economics is the study of how humans get stuff.

In it’s simplest form, supply of a good and the demand for that good, dictate the price of the good.

At the highest levels, like at the PhD level, the mathematics in Economics is no less complicated than the math involved at the PhD level in Nuclear Physics. (I am not joking)

Like formulas Einstein had on his chalk boards.

So here you got a shoe, that can sell for ~ $1,000. The cost of its raw materials is probably no more than $50/shoe.

But because, if you buy one, you can say “I bought a Big Baller”, it’s worth - to some people - $995.

Besides math, economics has a lot of psychology.

I once divided by zero using an IBM 360 Mainframe. Took out half a city block.

The raw materials will be nowhere near that, even without being on the scale of a company like Nike. Same with the labor.

But the profit margin will be ridiculous. So that's the idea, less people buy the shoe but they make more off each one


EDIT: Here's an article i found on the cost of a pair of Nike's. They say about 30$ a shoe, including labor. http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog...s=image_gallery

yea the 200 i spent were for some special edition Timberland boots.

i never spent more than 150 on a pair of basketball kicks. I just bought some for 130, the new Kyrie's.

i know people trip about the prices of these shoes but it's actually a culture. like there are so many people who buy kicks just to collect them. when i was selling cars, one of the managers was a huge kick guy. he has all the J's, Lebron's, Kyrie's, KD's (Kevin Durant), etc.

I would never buy these shoes from Ball, especially not for 495. however, i won't knock the people that do, and i know that's not what you're doing.

but Kanye has these Yeezy's shoes that go for 500 and up, and they are CONSTANTLY sold out.

because they are more than shoes, it's about the shoe/street culture. i wish i could own a pair of Yeezy Red October's. google those bro, those things are straight up fire.

Get it Lavar.

$500? They must be sewn together from game-worn douchebags from his father.

lol, those are way too Red for me. I am not into street culture or fashion though, to be honest. I prefer spending my money on videogames, electronics, trips, and another downpayment on a home. Living in Southwest Connecticut, a downpayment on a home is absolutely brutal, lol.


Thinking of it, I have spent 150$ on Timberland Boots before. Titan Pro Waterproof. Great boots. But they're for work. Out at sea, you get what you pay for in your Work Boots. And I'm sorry, but there's no way a pair of Yeezy's (or Big Ballers) cost more to make than a good pair of Timberland Workboots. Nor will they last as long on an industrial steel deck with non-skid like you got on a Naval Aircraft Carrier

You're on to something though. I've joked about this to friends. If I wanted to make a business, I'd start a fashion company and sell extremely over-priced apparel. Why? Because it almost becomes a status symbol to a lot of people. People will spend stupid amounts of money trying to show off for others.

Didn't Jaguar do this? They didn't even change their car, just increased their price point to put it in another market, lol

Kicks.

Takes me back to age 17, and the first time I ever heard that term for "shoes."

Couple of my friends had gotten Jordans.

My "basketball" shoes became my summer shoes. Every year.

I worked at a tool/equipment rental place in the summer. One day, I decided to spray paint my shoes, just for anyhow. 3 different colors - I, as W would say "over fancified" them.

Later that summer our h.s. team went to a basketball camp at Ohio University, for a week. Second day I sprained my ankle, bad. (not wearing those shoes though). OU trainer checked me out, told me the routine stuff: Ice it, elevate it, here are some crutches etc. and come back to me in the morning.

So, in the morning, I put on my left "painted" shoe and went to see the trainer. He was working with one of OU's basketball players. I hopped up on a table and waited.

And that player looked over at me, looked at my painted shoe and said "Damn, dude, those are some nice kicks you have. Where'd you get them?"

I didn't know what "kicks" were.

Anyway, no, I'd never pay $500 for ball's shoes.

for sure, but if you're into fashion, then Timberland makes those kinds of boots, as well.

but i feel you. it really does come down to preference. i don't spend money on video games like that anymore, so i guess that's what i use the money on now.

it's all about that lingo, bro!!

that applies to everything though.

so many people buy houses in overpriced neighborhoods because it's a status symbol.

that's *almost* an unavoidable part of life. hell that even applies to work life. if impressing others wasn't important, there would be no need to dress in business clothes for a job interview.

Mmm, don't know if I completely agree with that. There's a point where you're actually getting what you pay for. Even with pricey sports cars, you're getting something that looks sleeker and drives faster than most things on the market. To some extent, yes you are overpaying for some higher end stuff to impress people, but you're also getting some value for your money. A nice suit looks nicer than a polyester one. A large home in a nice neighborhood may have better schools or a reduced crime-rate. But if you're paying a million more for a house for no other reason than to say you live in a specific neighborhood, then yes I agree.

I'm really talking things where you're really paying for nothing other than the name on it. Purses are a big one. Some women will spend stupid amounts of money for a purse that really offers nothing more than the label that comes with it.

i understand what you're saying, but everything is relative.

before we continue, cause i actually really like where this discussion is going because it's real, everyday situations....

are you under the opinion that it's a bad thing to buy brand name products, or does it not really matter to you one way or another?

cause that's how it is for me. like if someone wants to drop 495 for these ridiculous kicks, more power to them. i think these shoes are just ugly, and yea, they don't have that brand recognition that goes along with it.

you made the comment about still getting value with some overpriced things.

well lets stay on the shoe game. does anybody who DOESN'T play sports professionally really need to pay more than 60 bucks for a pair of shoes?

the answer to that is...it depends.

if you play ball at the gym everyday like a lot of people do, is a cheap pair of walmart shoes really gonna cut it?

nope. but those Kyrie's will. the new Kyrie 3's go for 120. i just bought a pair a few weeks ago. it literally feels like i'm walking on air. so much comfort and support for my ankles. i even use them for weight training.

how much did those Kyrie's probably cost to make? 20-30 bucks in some third world country?

but see, individually, there's a purpose for them.

what if some kid wants him mom to buy them because Kyrie is his favorite player and the shoes look really cool?

that means those kicks are now for a status symbol.

but is there anything wrong with that?

You've really sold these Kyries well, but if i want to look cool (or i guess if i was a parent), I think i'd rather get myself/kid a Kyrie Jersey to watch teh game in. That way there's no confusion, you're supporting the Cavs adn Kyrie. I have no idea what any of these players shoes look like anyway

https://www.google.com/search?q=kyrie+3&...me&ie=UTF-8
here's what they look like. tons of colors to choose from.

and remember, you can't rock a jersey everyday, but lots of people, including kids, wear the same kicks everyday, or multiple days in a week.

I think we agree more than we disagree on this. I generally buy Nike shoes, because they're pretty comfortable and I know they won't fall apart within a few months. Reputation comes with the name as well, and sometimes that's a good thing.

You bought a pair of Kyrie's because you have use for the added value. I see nothing wrong with that either. Years ago I spent $1000 on a bicycle because I used to race them at an amateur level. Some people would think that kind of price for a bike is ridiculous, but it makes a ton of difference when you're actually racing them.

Now if someone bought any of those things for nothing more than a status symbol, I can't say there's anything "wrong" with it. It's their money. I just think they're being foolish with it.

$500 for shoes is insane just like LaVar, especially for a kid who hasn't played a single NBA minute or even been drafted yet...

But this shouldn't shock anyone coming from the same person who said he could beat MJ 1 on 1...smh

i think we both agree that we ain't paying 495 for no....big baller shoes lmfao

By the very fact that this thread exists on a Cleveland-centric sports message board and there are so many replies, Lavar is doing something right.

He's got his son, his shoes, his brand and himself trending on every bit of social media. Sure, most of it is negative towards himself and the products, but stores and individual buyers are pre-ordering the shoes. I think I heard something about "into the 5,000's", and it's only been a day.

He's turned himself into a Kardashian, without having to marry one of them. Lots of press, money, eyes and opinions.

I do the video game thing. I think that would be the closest thing to what you're talking about, swish (the guys collecting shoes). Games that I play, I'll buy the Collector's edition of the game. I will be the first to admit that that collector's edition stuff is a waste of money. But I play the game, and I want it... :-p

The other thing I'll throw down money is on my hockey equipment. I'm a goalie, and I've been a goalie for a while, so whenever I do need to buy equipment, I get the good stuff. Certain pieces, like my goalie mask, cost A LOT of money. But, to me, it's worth it because it holds up longer, and fits me like a glove (it's custom fit... I must have a weird-shaped head because nothing off the shelf fits me).

You're obviously not a big enough baller.

Only way I spend that much on footwear would be if it would get me drafted into whatever sport I wanted it to.

Even at 49 years old.

I live in sneakers. I never wear anything else. Ever. Even to work. Even to church, anywhere. Even in 6” of slush.

I’ve got four pairs with very specific functions.

This is my in-house (apartment) shoe. This shoe never goes outside. It’s very light and comfortable. I’m wearing a pair right now.

$9

This is my exercise/stretching shoe. Also in-house only. Never goes outside. It’s heavier and has deep treads good for traction/stabilty.


$25

These are my outdoor shoes (two pair same brand) $25/each. One pair new, one pair worn.

$25

I only wear these when I’m headed outside. I have two exact pairs so if I get one pair soaked (outside snow/rain/slush), I can change into a dry pair (for instance while at work)

They are an extra half-size big so that I can wear multiple pairs of wool socks in winter.

If there’s snow, rain or slush, I got to bring the spare pair for inside use. They get the most wear and tear. And I rotate one pair about once per year. (I buy a new pair, the old “new" pair becomes the old pair and the old "old" pair gets thrown-out.

To keep these 4 pairs of shoes from stinking, I Febreze them ~ twice per month.

I currently own three pair of these



and two pairs of these

https://www.terapeak.com/worth/cleveland...s/231826196220/

I refuse to pay over 40 to 50 bucks for a pair of shoes anymore, but those are very tempting GM.

Agreed... Wouldn't buy hs brand if the shoes cost $25

Neither do I. I mean I don't go overboard with brand names unless I feel there is value in paying more. And these days the brands that I do use aren't really that expensive in the grand scheme of things.

Boots. While Timberland and Red Wing are probably the two most likely suspects in this category, I'm a HUGE fan of Carolina Boots. I was always loyal to Red Wing when they were made in America. Now I hold no more loyalty to them and actually feel Carolina boots are better quality at a lower price.

T-shirts/shirts and coats. Carhartt is my brand of choice. Yes, they are a little more expensive than some other brands but they outlast almost all other brands I've tried.

Jeans. Levi and Carhartt. I've worn Levi almost my entire life. Here lately I've worked Carhartt into my jean collection.

If this all sounds a little redneck it may be because I dress a little redneck. I'm not out to impress anyone. I dress in what makes me feel the most comfortable.

Pit:

You are in fact a bona fide red neck!

It's comforting to know some things don't change.