Thanks Dad You Stupid ****

[vailpass]

Nike, Under Armour, Adidas not interested in deal with Lonzo Ball

An endorsement deal with Nike, Under Armour or Adidas is not in the cards for Lonzo Ball.

Ball's father, LaVar, confirmed that the three shoe and apparel companies informed him that they were not interested in completing a deal with his son. Sources with the three companies told ESPN.com that they indeed were moving on.

Never in the history of modern-day shoe endorsements have the big companies all stepped away from a potential top pick nearly two months before the NBA draft. But LaVar, who has been representing Lonzo in the deal, has offered something that has no precedent.

In his meetings with all three companies, LaVar insisted that they license his upstart Big Baller Brand from him. He also showed the companies a shoe prototype that he hoped would be Lonzo's first shoe.

"We've said from the beginning, we aren't looking for an endorsement deal," LaVar told ESPN. "We're looking for co-branding, a true partner. But they're not ready for that because they're not used to that model. But hey, the taxi industry wasn't ready for Uber, either."

Last week, Nike consultant George Raveling, at SportsBusiness Journal's World Congress of Sports, called LaVar "the worst thing to happen to basketball in the last hundred years."

The way LaVar sees it, Raveling's comment is indicative of what longtime businesspeople say when the way of doing things is changed.

"Just imagine how rich Tiger [Woods], Kobe [Bryant], Serena [Williams], [Michael] Jordan and LeBron [James] would have been if they dared to do their own thing," LaVar said. "No one owned their own brand before they turned pro. We do, and I have three sons, so it's that much more valuable."

Lonzo declared for the draft after one season at UCLA. LaVar's other sons have also committed to UCLA, including LiAngelo, who arrives on campus this year, and LaMelo, who just finished his sophomore season in high school.

Ball would not disclose how big the Big Baller Brand has become -- the company sells hats and T-shirts ranging from $38 to $100 on its website -- but he said that current sales numbers shouldn't have been on the mind of the shoe companies.

"When Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion, those guys weren't profitable," LaVar said.

Now that the traditional shoe companies are out, Ball said he will reach out to the Chinese brands, which include Peak, Li-Ning and Anta, and he's not counting out taking on an entrepreneurial partner outside the business.

"That includes Facebook," he said.

Ball said he did indeed have a shoe prototype for Lonzo's first shoe.

"We're not going to sign with a company and then wait around for five or six years for a shoe like Paul George had to wait for with Nike," Ball said.

When asked how long he has been working on the design of Lonzo's shoe, Ball said, "I've been working on that shoe ever since my boys were born."

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by vailpass

LaVar Ball has a new theory for why UCLA didn’t win the national championship he predicted UCLA would win: too many “white guys.”
“Realistically you can’t win no championship with three white guys because the foot speed is too slow,” he told The Orange County Register.

Another correct statement he made.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by vailpass

LaVar Ball has a new theory for why UCLA didn’t win the national championship he predicted UCLA would win: too many “white guys.”
“Realistically you can’t win no championship with three white guys because the foot speed is too slow,” he told The Orange County Register.

That's not completely inaccurate.

But why no comment on his son being athletically demolished by De'Aaron Fox? Because the slowest looking guy on the court against Kentucy was Lonzo. It wasn't necessarily because he was the slowest, but because he kept getting matched up against Fox who is friggen lightning.

And in the process it exposed the fact that Lonzo is a very smart, but athletically limited ballplayer who in fact plays a 'white' style of game. He's very much an early Steve Nash kind of player; before Nash really refined his jumper and made himself more of a shooting threat. Best case scenario would be early Jason Kidd - again, before Kidd became a good enough shooter to make you respect him.

Ball's biggest problem isn't necessarily what he sees in relation to the business/sports world, but rather what he ignores internally. He ignores where he may have ****ed up the pitch (I'm sure he did) or where he may have undermined his coaches and made his son look like a malcontent. He ignores some pretty serious flaws in Lonzo's game.

He loses his credibility not because he's always wrong, but because he's always selling you something. It always someone else's fault and he's always the cure.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Like what specifically?

This needs to be explained?

LaVar wants to control his son's brand rather than "outsourcing" it to a company. It's not a weird concept at all, companies and individuals make that choice all the time. If Nike pays Durant $150M for a shoe deal, be damn certain they're expecting to make more than that. (Or else they don't do it). That surplus value goes to shareholders not Durant.


Nike brings all sorts of benefits: distribution network, marketing weight, production expertise etc. But they get a piece of every player they sign.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

This needs to be explained?

LaVar wants to control his son's brand rather than "outsourcing" it to a company. It's not a weird concept at all, companies and individuals make that choice all the time. If Nike pays Durant $150M for a shoe deal, be damn certain they're expecting to make more than that. (Or else they don't do it). That surplus value goes to shareholders not Durant.


Nike brings all sorts of benefits: distribution network, marketing weight, production expertise etc. But they get a piece of every player they sign.

But the problem is that Ball expects Nike to give him those benefits WITHOUT the piece of every player.

He's being wholly unrealistic. Of course Nike takes their cut - they're giving you billions in consumer good will, name cache, product development/R&D, distribution, etc...

LaVar Ball could do everything correct until the day he dies and he won't catch up to Nike because Nike already has their groundwork and the ability to do anything they need to adapt to the market. Now perhaps his sons could end up taking 'Big Baller' (yeah, that'll go mainstream) to the next level but again, you're talking 30-40 years and some hugely fortuitous luck to become anything near what Nike has become.

Ball wants that for free.

Because he's an asshole and a huckster.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

That's not completely inaccurate.

But why no comment on his son being athletically demolished by De'Aaron Fox? Because the slowest looking guy on the court against Kentucy was Lonzo. It wasn't necessarily because he was the slowest, but because he kept getting matched up against Fox who is friggen lightning.

And in the process it exposed the fact that Lonzo is a very smart, but athletically limited ballplayer who in fact plays a 'white' style of game. He's very much an early Steve Nash kind of player; before Nash really refined his jumper and made himself more of a shooting threat. Best case scenario would be early Jason Kidd - again, before Kidd became a good enough shooter to make you respect him.

Ball's biggest problem isn't necessarily what he sees in relation to the business/sports world, but rather what he ignores internally. He ignores where he may have ****ed up the pitch (I'm sure he did) or where he may have undermined his coaches and made his son look like a malcontent. He ignores some pretty serious flaws in Lonzo's game.

He loses his credibility not because he's always wrong, but because he's always selling you something. It always someone else's fault and he's always the cure.

Today's basketball bores the shit out of me so I'll take your word on that.
The obvious point though is that him saying white guys are too slow is like someone else saying black players are too stupid.
You can't do that.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

But the problem is that Ball expects Nike to give him those benefits WITHOUT the piece of every player.

He's being wholly unrealistic. Of course Nike takes their cut - they're giving you billions in consumer good will, name cache, product development/R&D, distribution, etc...

LaVar Ball could do everything correct until the day he dies and he won't catch up to Nike because Nike already has their groundwork and the ability to do anything they need to adapt to the market. Now perhaps his sons could end up taking 'Big Baller' (yeah, that'll go mainstream) to the next level but again, you're talking 30-40 years and some hugely fortuitous luck to become anything near what Nike has become.

Ball wants that for free.

Because he's an asshole and a huckster.

That's not how I read it. A traditional endorsement deal means you sign your rights away in exchange for income. Ball seems to want input on branding, shoe design, distro, the whole deal.


Maybe he won't get it. But he's betting on his ideas vs Nike's. A gamble? Sure, but it's a gamble made daily thousands of times across America.


Like all outcomes, it's tied to Lonzo's play.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

This needs to be explained?

LaVar wants to control his son's brand rather than "outsourcing" it to a company. It's not a weird concept at all, companies and individuals make that choice all the time. If Nike pays Durant $150M for a shoe deal, be damn certain they're expecting to make more than that. (Or else they don't do it). That surplus value goes to shareholders not Durant.


Nike brings all sorts of benefits: distribution network, marketing weight, production expertise etc. But they get a piece of every player they sign.

Yes, the dad played this one perfectly. Losing a multi-million dollar business opportunity for your son that less than 1% of the population will ever be eligible for was a sound move as it allowed him to retain the abstract principals of which you speak.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

This needs to be explained?

LaVar wants to control his son's brand rather than "outsourcing" it to a company. It's not a weird concept at all, companies and individuals make that choice all the time. If Nike pays Durant $150M for a shoe deal, be damn certain they're expecting to make more than that. (Or else they don't do it). That surplus value goes to shareholders not Durant.


Nike brings all sorts of benefits: distribution network, marketing weight, production expertise etc. But they get a piece of every player they sign.

No I understand that part and I don't have a problem with that because that is true to a degree. But I have a feeling whatever he pitched them they weren't buying and I imagine Lavar was unwilling to take constructive criticism and relinquish anything.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by vailpass

Today's basketball bores the shit out of me so I'll take your word on that.
The obvious point though is that him saying white guys are too slow is like someone else saying black players are too stupid.
You can't do that.

You're not supposed to, but he's not wrong.

The 100 meter don't lie, kids - white guys just aren't as fast. There are fascinating articles on the subject - I read one awhile ago that suggested that earlier rises in Malaria in African nations led to increase blood flow to quick twitch muscles in response and hence an evolutionary improvement in raw athleticism among folks that evolved in those regions.

I went round and round and round with a guy I work with because he said the same thing. "If you say that black guys are inherently more athletic, you have to also be willing to say that white guys are more intelligent".

I told him if you give me the study that's accurately supported and scientifically repeatable, I have no problem saying both. There may be some differences in cognitive development that came about as a result of evolving in entirely different environments. Go start your study and we'll chat.

You can't ignore a conclusion just because you don't like its broad-brush implications. That's working backwards.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by vailpass

Yes, the dad played this one perfectly. Losing a multi-million dollar business opportunity for your son that less than 1% of the population will ever be eligible for was a sound move as it allowed him to retain the abstract principals of which you speak.

Reckless and Inaccurate are not synonymous.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

That's not completely inaccurate.

But why no comment on his son being athletically demolished by De'Aaron Fox? Because the slowest looking guy on the court against Kentucy was Lonzo. It wasn't necessarily because he was the slowest, but because he kept getting matched up against Fox who is friggen lightning.

And in the process it exposed the fact that Lonzo is a very smart, but athletically limited ballplayer who in fact plays a 'white' style of game. He's very much an early Steve Nash kind of player; before Nash really refined his jumper and made himself more of a shooting threat. Best case scenario would be early Jason Kidd - again, before Kidd became a good enough shooter to make you respect him.

Ball's biggest problem isn't necessarily what he sees in relation to the business/sports world, but rather what he ignores internally. He ignores where he may have ****ed up the pitch (I'm sure he did) or where he may have undermined his coaches and made his son look like a malcontent. He ignores some pretty serious flaws in Lonzo's game.

He loses his credibility not because he's always wrong, but because he's always selling you something. It always someone else's fault and he's always the cure.

Yep. It will be interesting to see how Lonzo's game translates to the NBA especially his very unique shooting. His dad isn't doing him any favors though saying he is better than Jordan or Curry and I imagine someone like Lebron straight abusing the kid when they match up.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

No I understand that part and I don't have a problem with that because that is true to a degree. But I have a feeling whatever he pitched them they weren't buying and I imagine Lavar was unwilling to take constructive criticism and relinquish anything.

Disagreements over value are the norm in any negotiation. Maybe LaVar thinks his progeny are worth $500M and Nike thinks Lonzo is the only value block, at $23M tops. Who knows?


If Lonzo plays well he will still be able to go back to the table and take the endorsement deal anyway. Key point being ignored here.

[Rain Man]

My dad is still trying to sell the shoe that he designed for my brand at birth. Unfortunately, few teens want to emulate my look and lifestyle.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

You're not supposed to, but he's not wrong.

The 100 meter don't lie, kids - white guys just aren't as fast. There are fascinating articles on the subject - I read one awhile ago that suggested that earlier rises in Malaria in African nations led to increase blood flow to quick twitch muscles in response and hence an evolutionary improvement in raw athleticism among folks that evolved in those regions.

I went round and round and round with a guy I work with because he said the same thing. "If you say that black guys are inherently more athletic, you have to also be willing to say that white guys are more intelligent".

I told him if you give me the study that's accurately supported and scientifically repeatable, I have no problem saying both. There may be some differences in cognitive development that came about as a result of evolving in entirely different environments. Go start your study and we'll chat.

You can't ignore a conclusion just because you don't like its broad-brush implications. That's working backwards.

Makes sense to me. I'm all for removing the taboo surrounding openly discussing differences between races and cultures.
My disgust with the father is caused by his wanting to live his son's life for him and not doing a good job of same.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Disagreements over value are the norm in any negotiation. Maybe LaVar thinks his progeny are worth $500M and Nike thinks Lonzo is the only value block, at $23M tops. Who knows?


If Lonzo plays well he will still be able to go back to the table and take the endorsement deal anyway. Key point being ignored here.

Not if his dad is part of the deal he won't.