"It's a little steep" - Nike founder Phil Knight wanted to sign Lonzo Ball, but LaVar's demands were unreasonable originally appeared on Basketball Network .
Lonzo Ball was such a good player in college that even Nike founder Phil Knight was impressed and even had an eye on signing the then-UCLA point guard.
However, when Lonzo's father LaVar went on record to say that they won't accept a mere shoe endorsement deal from any company and instead wanted a co-branding partnership worth $1 billion, Knight told USA Today that the elder Ball's demand was quite outrageous.
"If he can get it, get it. (But) It's a little steep," said Knight of LaVar's demands, and of Lonzo Ball, he added, "He's an awfully great player. Yeah, we have an interest."
It can be recalled that a couple of months before the 2017 NBA Draft where Ball was expected to be picked in the Top 5, the Big Baller Brand founder declared that they were looking for a major co-branding partnership with a big shoe brand , not a shoe deal for his son. And not only did he want that company to sign Lonzo, he demanded to include his two younger brothers.
At that time, the second son, LiAngelo, was expected to go to UCLA after Lonzo left, while the youngest, LaMelo, was still a high school sophomore. So, given all of LaVar's conditions, all major shoe companies - including Knight's Nike, informed the Ball patriarch that they were going to pass on signing Lonzo to a deal.
Many thought that the rejections would humble LaVar. However, after the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery on May 16, 2017, his confidence rose to an all-time high.
Before the Draft Lottery even took place, LaVar was already talking about Lonzo playing point guard for his hometown team, the Los Angeles Lakers. When the Lakers moved from No.3 to No.2 in the 2017 Draft after the Draft Lottery, LaVar's Hollywood-worthy script was one step closer to fruition. With Lonzo playing in a big market all but a formality, he upped his ante.
"Now that Lonzo's headed to Los Angeles, what they should have done is give me a billion dollars and let me be on my way," LaVar declared .
"Now you know...if they want to talk to me now, it just went up to $3 billion. Triple B's — billion, billion, billion. That's the only way they going to come at me. I'm already in the building. I don't need them for nothing, as you can tell," he emphatically stated.
The Lakers ended up drafting Lonzo with the 2nd overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, just as LaVar had predicted. However, his co-branding deal never came to fruition and his Big Baller Brand ended up making Lonzo's first signature shoe, the ZO2. BBB made a second shoe for Lonzo called the ZO2.19, but neither silhouette sold well enough to continue the shoe line.
Meanwhile, Knight bagged the players picked before and after Lonzo - Markelle Fultz and Jayson Tatum. Tatum later moved to Nike's Jordan Brand where he is one of its signature players along with Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson. Lonzo doesn't have a shoe deal right now but always wears silhouettes of Nike's Kobe signature shoe line.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
