Elena Delle Donne Criticized for Ripping Lonzo Ball's Big Baller Shoes

WNBA star Elena Delle Donne commented Saturday on the backlash she received for tweeting about Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball and his ZO2 signature shoes.

Delle Donne tweeted the following on Friday regarding Lonzo and the Big Baller Brand kicks during the 19-year-old's NBA Summer League debut:

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), the Washington Mystics standout said she faced plenty of social media backlash after the tweet:

"I was getting killed. Got to love it though. It was a joke, I like to mess around, think of myself as a kind of funny person. All the hype around the BBBs. How many times have athletes blown out a shoe? A shoe? Not talking injury. People were taking it like I wanted him to get hurt. Are you kidding me? I want him to have a great future. It's so funny. One joke and it's like, phew. Guess he's got a lot of fans already."

On Saturday morning, Delle Donne responded to negative comments she received with a pair of tweets explaining her intention:

Ball is already a divisive figure due largely to the actions of his father, LaVar, and the fact that he has a $495 price tag on his sneakers.

While the Lakers selected Ball No. 2 overall in the 2017 NBA draft, his debut was a struggle. The former UCLA star scored five points on just 2-of-15 shooting and dished out five assists in a 96-93 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Meanwhile, Delle Donne is a three-time All-Star and former WNBA MVP who is averaging 19.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season.