LaVar Ball Turned Down a $10 Million USD Shoe Deal for Lonzo

From LaMelo Ball’s ‘highlight’ tape getting roasted by Twitter to getting called out by Shaq, LaVar Ball and his sons just can’t stay out of the spotlight. So it’s no wonder sports giants like Nike, adidas and Under Armour were reportedly prepared to offer UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball — a projected top-2 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft — a $10 million USD shoe contract over five years, but his father LaVar, insisted for a “more lucrative” deal.

During his appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, ESPN’s Darren Rovell broke down just how much money LaVar cost Lonzo. Rovell went on to say that LaVar is betting on his Big Baller Brand rather than taking a deal that could have doubled his son’s rookie salary. Furthermore, now that it looks like Lonzo’s destined to be drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, Rovell estimates Nike would have upped their offer to five years and $20 million USD, but that still wouldn’t be good enough for the Big Baller. Watch the interview above. Rovell states:

“We said Tiger (Woods) might be the next Jordan taking over, but there is no next Jordan in basketball or probably no next Jordan anywhere. I know that’s going to disappoint LaVar Ball, but I think you have to say that. It’s strange to me that LaVar didn’t at least fold some of his cards and go back to the shoe companies in earnest.

After the Lakers thing goes down and the perfect scenario is going to unfold, the new deal, Nike (to) five years and $20 million. But what does LaVar Ball do? Instead of saying he now wants $1 billion, he now wants $3 billion.”