"My thoughts are, execute properly" - When Kobe reacted to Lonzo's decision to rock his own shoe rather than join a top shoe brand originally appeared on Basketball Network .
Lonzo Ball was one of the most highly coveted shoe endorsers after the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him 2nd overall in the 2017 NBA Draft out of UCLA. However, instead of signing with one of the top shoe brands, Zo defied conventional wisdom by choosing to make his signature shoe under the Big Baller Brand company that his father created. The result was, of course, a disaster.
But before the cookie crumbled, CNBC asked the late Kobe Bryant what he thought of Ball's decision to compete with the industry giants instead of joining them, and Kobe gave a forewarning that Lonzo's dad, LaVar, should have probably listened to.
"My thoughts are, execute properly," said Kobe. "It's not good enough to have a shoe and launch a shoe. But in that market, in that business, you have to make sure that the product is there. It's the only way that you can challenge the big guys. If the innovation and the quality of the product is there, you give yourself a fighting chance."
"So I'm all for that. I'm all for doing things differently. I just think you have to obsess over every single detail about that product, even beyond before getting into the marketing and storytelling of it all, you got to get the product right," he added.
The Big Baller Brand was established by LaVar and Alan Foster in 2016 for his three sons — Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo—all of whom he expected to become big stars in the NBA. Because it was a small start-up, it could not design much more nor produce its products, mainly basketball shoes.
LaVar and his team at BBB designed the first version of Lonzo's ZO2 signature shoe. Although they launched a finished product, it was made available for pre-order at the ridiculous price of $495.
After receiving fewer than 1,000 preorders, LaVar partnered with Skechers' subsidiary Brandblack to "remix" the original design and create a better and lighter version of the shoe. Big Baller Brand even offered a refund for customers who preordered the original design but didn't like the one remodeled by Brandblack.
It's unclear how many pairs the ZO2 sold, but a year later, Big Baller Brand made Lonzo's second shoe, the ZO2.19, which again was available via preorder. The preorders were initially scheduled for delivery in early 2019, but were moved to May 2019 because of an issue with the shoe's midfoam. That turned out to be the last Lonzo shoe by BBB.
Lonzo ended up ditching his ZO2 shoes for the Nike swoosh, and, more interestingly, he was wearing different silhouettes of Kobe's protro shoes. In 2019, there were rumors that the eldest Ball brother signed a shoe deal with Nike, but that cannot be confirmed, as there was never an official statement from him or Nike.
What is certain, however, is that no less than Nike founder Phil Knight was interested in signing Lonzo in 2017, but he said that his father asked for a co-branding deal worth $1 billion, which was ridiculous, to say the least.
"If he can get it, get it. But it's a little steep," said Knight of LaVar's demands, and Lonzo Ball, he added. "He's an awfully great player. Yeah, we have an interest."
Making matters worse was Zo's admission last year that wearing the ZO2 shoes contributed to the series of injuries that caused him to miss over two years of NBA action and almost ended his NBA career. Thankfully, he was able to make it back. Ball was recently traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, his fourth team since joining the NBA.
Looking back, Zo said he had always been an Adidas guy, but he was told in 2017 that no top brand wanted to sign him, so he went with his dad's brand. However, that was not really the case as Knight proved. And as Kobe said, there is nothing wrong with doing things on your own.
However, they should have done it better and not just relied heavily on the power of LaVar's mouth. Thankfully, LaMelo didn't listen to the Big Baller, and so he has his signature shoe with Puma. Zo can only think of the "what ifs".
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
