Lonzo Ball Says His $495 USD Big Baller Brand ZO2 Shoes Constantly Ripped

Pelicans player Lonzo Ball recently revealed why he had avoided sneakers from his own family’s Big Baller Brand in an interview with LightHarted Podcast.

Ball began his career playing for the Lakers in 2017, and at the time sported his family’s $459 USD ZO2 in a colorway reflective of his team. However, he soon departed from the model, opting for options from adidas, Nike, Jordan Brand, and even Under Armour. Eventually, the ZO2 disappeared, and never got a public release. During the podcast, Ball revealed that in fact, the ZO2 was never a reliable sneaker, constantly ripping on him during his matches.

“No one knows the real story about them shoes though,” Ball said. “Them ZO2s I was playing in, they was not ready. No one knows this, but [Darren Moore, Ball's manager] had a backpack, and he had an extra like four pairs of shoes in there because I had to switch them every quarter, because they would just rip.” He continued: “I had to debut them. We went so far with it, it was like, cool, I can get a quarter in, but that’s it. And it’s crazy, because right when I switched my shoes, all of a sudden, magically I got good again.”

This marks the first time Ball uncovered the real reason behind him dropping the ZO2. His father LaVar Ball had previously suggested instead that his son was merely looking to start a bidding war between the large sportswear brands.

Elsewhere in sneakers, adidas Originals has debuted its Torsion X sneaker.

“Them ZO2’s I was playing in, they were not ready….@dmoore_1 had a backpack & he had an extra 4 pairs of shoes in there cause I had to switch them every quarter cause they would rip.”

-@ZO2_ on wearing 🅱️🅱️🅱️ ZO2’s in summer league.

🎙: @lighthartedpod | @joshhart pic.twitter.com/rI2m5nrqat

— Audel Del Toro (@AudelDelToro) September 4, 2019