Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives against Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2017 Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 12, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Los Angeles won 103-102. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Polarizing NBA rookie Lonzo Ball has been grabbing headlines, sometimes not his own doing, even before the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him second overall in the 2017 Draft.
One of the things the public took notice of the former UCLA Bruin was his overpriced signature ZO2 shoes from under his family’s Big Baller Brand.
Priced at upwards of $495, the ZO2s are worth more than double most basketball sneakers and it’s something LaVar Ball, Lonzo’s over-spoken father, described as ahead of other global brands such as adidas, Nike, and Under Armour.
While Lonzo wore his signature shoes in his first two games in the NBA Summer League but those couple of outings both resulted in losses for the Lakers.
On Thursday, however, the Laker rookie ditched his ZO2s and rocked a pair of Nike Kobe A.D. “Purple Stardusts” in a game where he exploded for 36 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, and five steals.
This isn’t the first time, though, that Lonzo wore shoes not under his family’s Big Baller Brand.
Lonzo wore a pair of adidas James Harden Vol. 1 during his workout with the Lakers, and it’s understandable since UCLA is an adidas school.
And even four-time MVP LeBron James, who was in attendance in the Lakers’ 103-102 win over Philadelphia, had to take notice of Lonzo’s brand switch.
“Just. Do. It,” James posted on his Instagram with a video closeup of Lonzo’s feet.