Projected top prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft LaMelo Ball is reportedly finalizing a deal with Puma, according to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania on Wednesday. The move also signals the end of Ball’s involvement with Big Baller Brand.
There does remain a possibility that Big Baller Brand is absorbed into Puma in some capacity but there have been no indications of that happening yet.
Puma has stepped up its footprint in the basketball scene in recent years, signing the likes of Marvin Bagley, RJ Barrett and DeAndre Ayton ahead of previous drafts. DeMarcus Cousins, Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green are also signed to the brand.
The move isn’t entirely an out of the blue, though there were no official rumors of Ball and Puma prior to Wednesday. However, the connection between Roc Nation Sports, which the family signed with during the pandemic lockdown, and Puma made this deal a forecastable one.
Roc Nation Sports founder Jay-Z also holds a position within Puma’s basketball department. Ball met with Roc Nation Sports on Jay-Z’s private jet in March with some speculating that it could be part of a future Puma deal.
As recently as April, reports still indicated Ball was “wide open” on shoe endorsements. LaVar Ball hinted at a potential Puma-Big Baller Brand collaboration that added more fuel to the fire.
Most recently, Ball’s comments on Big Baller Brand for his recent ESPN piece likely indicated that he was leaving the brand in hindsight.
Where the rest of the family, particularly Lonzo Ball, goes from here remains to be seen. Lonzo had a recent lyric in his new album that indicated he was with the brand, but he also admitted in an interview that those songs were written in 2018, before the Alan Foster situation.