Charlotte Hornets star, Lamelo Ball was making large pay checks, even when he was 16 years old in high school. After going viral for a half court shot during his career high 92 point performance when he was only a freshman in high school, the world took attention to the Ball family. Their father, Lavar Ball, a failed NFL player got their brand started at a young age. They called it Big Baller Brand, with the abbreviation BBB, for the 3 Ball brothers. The brand started by selling shirts which became very popular among teens at the time. Next, they moved into the realm of designer basketball shoes. Lamelo was the first son to get a signature shoe, and he was only in high school at the time. The shoes retailed for $395, making them a not very popular option for basketball shoes. This shoe may not have been a big money maker, but it certainly drew a lot of attention to Lamelo. After high school, he ended up playing professionally in Lithuania and he became a part owner of the team he played for.
After his European career was up, Lamelo decided to go to the NBA draft in 2020, where he was selected 3rd overall by the Hornets. Once Lamelo joined the Hornets, Puma took interest in him and ended up signing a deal with him. In the past year, he has come out with the first and second rendition of his signature shoe with Puma. These shoes have been a hit and they are actually a viable option for a basketball player. Although Lamelo may not have had the best early career as an entrepreneur, he brought a lot of attention to himself which ended up setting him up for a very successful start to his NBA career.
Wow what an amazing story! Lamello is one of my favorite basketball players and to learn his entrepreneurial background was truly amazing. Even at a young age Lamello was being filmed and had such a big following his whole life through social media. He used this following to encourage kids to play basketball and learn from his skill. He even came out with his own basketball shoes with Puma just in his first year in the NBA. He encourages me to find what I love and build a business around it
This is a well written article! I have always been a lowkey fan of Lamelo even back in his high school days. It was always cool to hear about the triple B (Big Baller Brand) and what they built strictly off of name, image and likeness. I even owned a Big Baller Brand shirt at one time. Until they ran into some bad media. On the other hand is has been cool to see the progression of Lamelo in the business world. I really like the first two renditions of his signature shoe and I think he has really helped Puma make a name for themselves in the basketball world.