After his outrageous $1 billion dollar proposal was turned down by the three major sneaker companies, LaVar Ball is now raising hell defending his own brand and son’s ZO2 sneaker. The very outspoken LaVar Ball spazzed out today while speaking about his son’s new ZO2 Prime sneaker. Ball was a call-in guest on ESPN’s “Dan Le Batard Show (with Stugoz)” when he became somewhat defensive of the sneaker and its high price point. On Thursday, Ball introduced his son, Lonzo Ball‘s first signature shoe, released under the family’s Big Baller Brand. The ZO2 sneaker is for sale for $495 along with a pair of slides for $220. Ball tells Batard and Stugoz that 19-year-old Lonzo designed the shoe and how he’s setting a precedence by coming into the shoe game with his own brand. Nobody’s ever came in the game with they own brand. My son got his own slider and his own shoe. Before he even touched the floor as a rookie. And guess what, he designed all of it. Nike and Adidas ain’t gonna let nobody at 19 years old design nothing. They got their own designers. Ball continues the conversation defending the price point of the sneaker and sliders. He insists that – once you purchase a Big Baller Brand item – you are purchasing a “symbolic” product. Why is that excessive? Prada and Gucci selling theirs for what they want. My sandal looks better than that. It feels better. I feel my sandal is worth 220 dollars. Now you have to pay, this right here is symbolic. And that comes with a price. As for a future partnership with Ball State, Ball says he has no plans to do that. Ball didn’t reveal how many pairs of shoes Big Baller Brand has sold so far. But, it is believed that he’s working with a manufacturer based in China. Photo credit: USA Today
