LaVar Ball Open to BBB Shoe Collaboration with Puma After Roc Nation Deal
May 1, 2020
LaVar Ball's Big Baller Brand is still looking for ways to make its next big splash in the basketball world and hip-hop mogul Jay-Z may be the key to doing so.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Ball—whose three sons LaMelo, Lonzo and LiAngelo have all signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation Agency for marketing purposes—said he would be open to working with Puma on a new sneaker collaboration given the rapper also serves as the company's creative director.
"That could be," Ball said of a Big Baller Brand-Puma crossover. "See, that's a good thing about dealing with Roc Nation. The possibilities are unlimited."
Roc Nation Sports is a division of talent powerhouse Creative Artists Agency and had built up a list of marquee clients even before the Balls agreed to join.
Their NBA players include Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Justise Winslow, P.J. Washington and Willie Cauley-Stein, but LaVar Ball still needed a full vetting process with different agencies before he and his family were ready to commit to new representation.
"I think you have to go through different agencies to see the one that you need that's going to have the same mindset as you," he said. "I feel that Roc Nation is trying to move in a direction that we moving in."
Big Baller Brand has already released four pairs of signature shoes with Lonzo's ZO2.19 the last to hit shelves in October 2018. Puma, which recently made a comeback in the NBA, currently has deals with Marvin Bagley, Derrick Jones Jr., Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Knox and Michael Porter Jr.
As LeMelo prepares to enter the NBA Draft this offseason, adding his name to Puma's stable could help BBB launch a new line of shoes featuring the potential lottery pick.
"They said something I liked which is 'Lavar, we wanna change the game. We wanna do something special.'" Ball said of his discussions with Roc Nation. "Now, that terminology right there means I'm supposed to be with you guys. Because my boys are special and like I said, I wanna change so it's all good."
It might also mean a renewed interest in Big Baller Brand. With the company's founder now open to collaborations, more opportunities could follow.