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Nike, Under Armour, Adidas not interested in deal with Lonzo Ball

An endorsement deal with Nike, Under Armour or Adidas is not in the cards for Lonzo Ball.

Ball's father, LaVar, confirmed that the three shoe and apparel companies informed him that they were not interested in completing a deal with his son. Sources with the three companies told ESPN.com that they indeed were moving on.

Never in the history of modern-day shoe endorsements have the big companies all stepped away from a potential top pick nearly two months before the NBA draft. But LaVar, who has been representing Lonzo in the deal, has offered something that has no precedent.

In his meetings with all three companies, LaVar insisted that they license his upstart Big Baller Brand from him. He also showed the companies a shoe prototype that he hoped would be Lonzo's first shoe.

"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."

Last week, Nike consultant George Raveling, at SportsBusiness Journal's World Congress of Sports, called LaVar "the worst thing to happen to basketball in the last hundred years."

The way LaVar sees it, Raveling's comment is indicative of what longtime businesspeople say when the way of doing things is changed.

"Just imagine how rich Tiger [Woods], Kobe [Bryant], Serena [Williams], [Michael] Jordan and LeBron [James] would have been if they dared to do their own thing," LaVar said. "No one owned their own brand before they turned pro. We do, and I have three sons, so it's that much more valuable."

Lonzo declared for the draft after one season at UCLA. LaVar's other sons have also committed to UCLA, including LiAngelo, who arrives on campus this year, and LaMelo, who just finished his sophomore season in high school.

Ball would not disclose how big the Big Baller Brand has become -- the company sells hats and T-shirts ranging from $38 to $100 on its website -- but he said that current sales numbers shouldn't have been on the mind of the shoe companies.

"When Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion, those guys weren't profitable," LaVar said.

Now that the traditional shoe companies are out, Ball said he will reach out to the Chinese brands, which include Peak, Li-Ning and Anta, and he's not counting out taking on an entrepreneurial partner outside the business.

"That includes Facebook," he said.

Ball said he did indeed have a shoe prototype for Lonzo's first shoe.

"We're not going to sign with a company and then wait around for five or six years for a shoe like Paul George had to wait for with Nike," Ball said.

When asked how long he has been working on the design of Lonzo's shoe, Ball said, "I've been working on that shoe ever since my boys were born."

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It does seem odd that a 19 yr old kid that was playing high level basketball 10 weeks ago is suddenly 'out of shape'.

Think about yourself at 19. And now realize that however good an athlete you were at 19, you were NOT as good an athlete as Lonzo Ball.

I know I could've sat ass for 6 months and have been in the exact same shape that I was in prior to that. That's just the nature of being a kid. Now perhaps Lonzo's just never been in very good shape and has been counting on floor vision to mask the fact that he's not committed himself, but I have a hard time believing that he's in appreciably worse shape than he was during the tourney - it's just hard for a guy that young and with innate athleticism to really crater in that short a period of time.

I imagine that the Lakers and the press were expecting to be blown away by Ball, which is something that didn't happen.

It's also been reported that he was out of shape versus coaches and staffers, which really made them question how he'd perform against actual NBA players.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I imagine that the Lakers and the press were expecting to be blown away by Ball, which is something that didn't happen.

It's also been reported that he was out of shape versus coaches and staffers, which really made them question how he'd perform against actual NBA players.

May just be one of those "So THAT'S why he got his ass kicked by Fox..." moments.

Then again, if he got smoked because he's not athletic, that's one thing and it's a bad one. If he got smoked because he was punching a clock at UCLA, not taking things seriously and waiting for his shot at the League, well for some reason that's slightly less disconcerting.

If some of what looked like him being overmatched by premium athletes was actually just him being a little on the lazy side, that actually means his ceiling could be HIGHER than otherwise considered. It means his floor may be a bit lower as well but I'll take that trade right now if I'm LA.

5 merely good players can't win in the NBA anymore and the Rip Hamilton/Chauncy Billups Pistons were the last gasp of that style. You need genuine superstars and the Lakers can't come out of yet ANOTHER top 2 draft pick without getting one. Russell isn't going to be that guy (he's looking more and more like his best outcome is a DeMar DeRozan kind of ball-dominant, good but not great player). Ingram might be, but there's still so much we don't know.

You can't just count on getting Paul George to sign here and Ingram being a star. The Lakers need to keep taking HR swings and as much as it pains me, they need Ball to be that guy so much that they should probably just hold their noses and take him.

And hope. Because the bottom line is that they need more than just an Andre Iguodala or Mike Conley. And that's what you're looking at with Jackson or Fox. They need to get lucky and have Ball be the funkier looking Jason Kidd that his vision suggests he could be. And if he and Ingram can become dangerous set shooters (because Ball has a comically limited offensive game), suddenly there's going to be a lot of room for Russell to slash and Randall to beat the shit out of guys on the Glass (or Nance to fly by them).

There's a good roster here if some things go right, but they have to take the big risk, IMO.

[O.city]

Ball has an athleticism problem. That doesn't play in the NBA: I'd go with fox and hope for Conley

[L.A. Chieffan]

I think Russell can be a good 1, Clarkson is more of a true 1 than he is but they play well with one another on the court and Russell moves to 2. Ball and Russell would not work I think. I think Russell is better than Ball and Ball only clogs up the backcourt. Remember he's still only 21 and dropped 40 on the Cavs back in March.

You may be right about Jackson, I didn't watch very much Big 12 ball. What I did watch was a lot of UCLA and wasn't that all impressed with Lonzo, and neither it seems were the Lakers brass. Rather have his kid brother from Chino

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

Ball has an athleticism problem. That doesn't play in the NBA: I'd go with fox and hope for Conley

Eh, so did Nash. And Kidd wasn't a stellar athlete.

The question is whether or not those guys are dinosaurs in the modern NBA where space/pace is king, not a single distributor.

That's why GM's get paid the big bucks. Personally I think a team is always better off having at least one guy that 'sees all the angles' and they can find ways to work around the athleticism offensively. Defensively is a different story but Ball has the length to at least hassle guys on defense if he had the desire.

They already have a guy that plays like Conley. Fox and Russell would occupy the same space/style too often. They need parts that complement each other and unless the idea is to move Russell in a deal for George (I still don't know when George became Lebron James for some; we've seen what happens when George is the best player on your team and it's pretty 'meh'), then I just don't see how he fits with Fox.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by L.A. Chieffan

I think Russell can be a good 1, Clarkson is more of a true 1 than he is but they play well with one another on the court and Russell moves to 2. Ball and Russell would not work I think. I think Russell is better than Ball and Ball only clogs up the backcourt. Remember he's still only 21 and dropped 40 on the Cavs back in March.

You may be right about Jackson, I didn't watch very much Big 12 ball. What I did watch was a lot of UCLA and wasn't that all impressed with Lonzo, and neither it seems were the Lakers brass. Rather have his kid brother from Chino

I don't think Clarkson's a 1 either.

Either the Lakers are content playing without a true PG or they have to take Ball. They don't have a 1 on their roster right now. They have two combo guards.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I don't think Clarkson's a 1 either.

Either the Lakers are content playing without a true PG or they have to take Ball. They don't have a 1 on their roster right now. They have two combo guards.

Agreed, I just don't think Ball helps them. Curry isn't a true 1 either, there are very few teams with a true 1 that make any noise

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by L.A. Chieffan

Agreed, I just don't think Ball helps them. Curry isn't a true 1 either, there are very few teams with a true 1 that make any noise

True. Like I said - that's why GM's get paid the big bucks. Is a 'pure point guard' a dinosaur? That's a question beyond my knowledge.

The Warriors don't have one, but they're a unicorn. Don't try to build the Warriors. They have 4 of the top 20 players in the NBA (arguably top 15). Trying to reproduce the Warriors model is an exercise in futility. "Well if we can just get two of the greatest 3-point shooters of all-time, a defensive swiss-army knife that can guard every spot on the floor, oh - and a 7-footer with 28 ft range and the handles of a point guard, we should be in great shape!"

Nope, don't try that. And don't try to duplicate the Cavs either because they have one of the 3-5 best players in basketball history as well and you don't.

Look around the league at the very good teams that AREN'T the Cavs and Warriors, who cannot be duplicated. What do those teams do?

There's a good mix out there. The Raptors, Clippers and Wizards have true PGs, IMO, in Lowry, Paul and Wall. Teams like the Rockets and Thunder have combo guard facilitators in Harden and Westbrook. Then odd ducks like the Spurs and Jazz mostly seem to flow through their swing-men.

So I think the answer is you can do it in a number of different ways so you should probably pick the best player (duh, I guess). To me, the one with actual superstar potential of that lot is Ball. Fox and Jackson just don't do it for me; they can't be superstars. And one thing all those teams have in common is a lack of redundant parts. I think Fox would be redundant and I just don't see the offensive skill in Jackson to be worth that kind of draft capital.

[O.city]

I think I'd probably take Jackson and hope he develops into a suped up Kawhi (unlikely) or Foc . I have a strict no go that high on guys that have shown some holes in athleticism. Beat case for ball is he becomes a better Jason Kidd? I'd imagine that's unlikely and his shooting motion is horrible. Looks unnatural so I dunno that it ever becomes something he can lean on.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

I think I'd probably take Jackson and hope he develops into a suped up Kawhi (unlikely) or Foc . I have a strict no go that high on guys that have shown some holes in athleticism. Beat case for ball is he becomes a better Jason Kidd? I'd imagine that's unlikely and his shooting motion is horrible. Looks unnatural so I dunno that it ever becomes something he can lean on.

Eh, lot of the same stuff was said about Curry coming out.

Writing off a guy that sees the floor like that is pretty risky. If they decide to go a different route, so be it, but if it's just taking Fox or Jackson at 2, I think they're getting a poor return on the #2 overall pick.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Eh, lot of the same stuff was said about Curry coming out.

Writing off a guy that sees the floor like that is pretty risky. If they decide to go a different route, so be it, but if it's just taking Fox or Jackson at 2, I think they're getting a poor return on the #2 overall pick.

Curry always had the stand there and catch it and shoot option to fall back in. He's not an athlete but has the uncanny ability to score.

I don't think Ball has that. He could have the vision and intelligence to be a pretty great pick and roll guy and pg

It's tough to project. Glad I'm not making the decision.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

As a Lakers fan, I hope they pass on Ball and take either De'Aaron Fox or Josh Jackson.

Ball reportedly show up way out of shape at his workout with the team.

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It does seem odd that a 19 yr old kid that was playing high level basketball 10 weeks ago is suddenly 'out of shape'.

Think about yourself at 19. And now realize that however good an athlete you were at 19, you were NOT as good an athlete as Lonzo Ball.

I know I could've sat ass for 6 months and have been in the exact same shape that I was in prior to that. That's just the nature of being a kid. Now perhaps Lonzo's just never been in very good shape and has been counting on floor vision to mask the fact that he's not committed himself, but I have a hard time believing that he's in appreciably worse shape than he was during the tourney - it's just hard for a guy that young and with innate athleticism to really crater in that short a period of time.

I disagree. Wholeheartedly. When I was 19 I could do all sorts of stuff that makes my knees hurt just thinking about all day long. I could play pickup ball for hours.

But that's pickup ball. It took a good long time to get in peak basketball shape. And I ran cross country in high school. Cross country. All I did is run. But I was still gassed playing hard ball. And once I got in shape it was really easy to lose that peak edge. Not sleeping enough, trying to get laid, would take the edge off.

You're right. I'm not a physical freak. But it's unlikely even at my best that I was pushing myself to the pinnacle of my athletic ability like these guys were. There's a pretty big difference in playing pickup ball or just doing some random activity with extreme athleticism and high level basketball. I'm sure it's not too tough to dick off awhile and then get a little gassed on a workout.

RE: Jackson yeah his offensive skill set is pretty rough but it came a long way in a year at KU. Just watch his December games vs February or March games.

There are a couple things that stand out. His offense got a lot better which means he was putting in real work. Even at a place where he is just putting in time.

He also defends. Really well. So that is something you can lean on. Also, he's putting in non-glamourous work at a place he's just putting in time.

His athleticism is sick. But he didn't lean on it he worked on the game. He could have dominated in the Big 12 on his athleticism alone but he worked on his game. That's something that would stand out to me as I was drafting.

But dudes go high as hell I wouldn't touch. So I'd be a shot personnel man.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Little write up about Ball and Russell playing together

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...lo-russell-out

[DaneMcCloud]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers...613-story.html

Lakers, still undecided on pick, host second workout for Josh Jackson, plan one for Lonzo Ball

It was not possible to draw a definitive conclusion from Kansas forward Josh Jackson’s second pre-draft workout with the Lakers on Tuesday because the team plans on bringing in UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball for another workout. Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox had worked out for the Lakers earlier in the day before Jackson arrived hours later, in the afternoon.

But according to several NBA officials who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter because no decision has been made yet, the Lakers are split over whether to use their No. 2 pick in the NBA draft on Ball or Jackson. The Lakers, the officials said, have been having a healthy debate on which course to take because they are intrigued by the talents of both players. With the June 22 draft still more than a week away, the officials said, Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson, general manager Rob Pelinka, coach Luke Walton and his staff will keep talking.

The Lakers are being diligent, and bringing Jackson for the workout at their practice facility showed how serious they are about him. The Lakers saw Jackson work out in Sacramento last Thursday. Ball, who worked out for the Lakers last Wednesday, is a 6-foot-6 point guard many see as being in the mold of Johnson because of his court vision and ability to find open teammates. Jackson, meanwhile, is a 6-8 wing player who is athletic and versatile. He said he was happy the Lakers asked him in for a solo workout, but didn’t put much stock in the notion the team might be leaning in his direction. “Yeah, it was definitely just more of come in and try to impress them and hopefully I impressed them enough,” Jackson said. “But they can’t look past any guy in this draft because we’re all really, really talented and I think we all bring a lot to the table.”

The Lakers were still trying to make arrangements for Ball’s second workout sometime this week. Several executives said Ball appeared “out of shape” and way “too cool” during his first workout with the Lakers, but another executive said the point guard still was impressive and that “his body of work at UCLA” demonstrated how skilled he is. Washington point guard Markelle Fultz, who is expected to go first to Boston, will visit the Lakers on Thursday. “The point guards in this draft are really, really, really good and are special,” Jackson said. “But I don’t think you can really look past anybody in this draft. Point guard or forward, it doesn’t matter. I think this is a really good draft class.”

In today’s position-less NBA, epitomized by the newly-crowned champion Golden State Warriors, Jackson said he thinks he will defend point guards, shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards. “The way the game is changing so much today, versatility is pretty important,” Jackson said. “I think I bring a lot to the table, especially being able to switch on pretty much any position except the five [center].” The Lakers have a 6-9 small forward in Brandon Ingram, who just finished his rookie season, but Jackson doesn’t see that as an issue if the two were to become teammates. “I don’t think playing with Brandon would cause any problems,” Jackson said. “I think it would be really special, honestly.”

Fox had his moment to showcase his skills for the Lakers in Tuesday’s workout. He knows the competition at his position is Fultz and Ball, and was asked after his solo workout whether he was motivated by that. “Um, I mean, yeah,” Fox responded. “You can say that about anybody. But right now I’m just worried about myself. I’m not really worried about those guys.”

Jackson admitted he is taking an “anger management” course after having been charged with a misdemeanor count of criminal property damage in December. It was alleged that he kicked a door and tail light of a car belonging to a female basketball player at Kansas. “It was just something I had to do,” Jackson said of the course, “and I learned from the mistake that I made and I’m making it through it.”

Times staff writer Tania Ganguli contributed to this report

[DJ's left nut]

This is awesome...

WATCH top draft prospects @ZO2_ @swipathefox @jaytatum0 and @jisaac_01 reflect on their dads and their journey to draft night. #Approved pic.twitter.com/z2t9cIEfBW

— Foot Locker (@footlocker) June 14, 2017