While there was certainly much speculation as to which agency the Ball brothers would next align with, a decision that was made on Monday as they joined Roc Nation, the move that had much more intrigue regarded only LaMelo and his sneaker future. With the youngest Ball sibling being the most globally popular, his shoe deal will be one of the biggest in recent memory.
In ESPN’s piece by Jonathan Givony on the brother signing with Roc Nation, it was revealed that Ball was still listening to offers from shoe companies and that decision would be next in line.
Roc Nation will be tasked with negotiating marketing opportunities, including LaMelo Ball’s sneaker contract. Jay-Z was named creative director of Puma Basketball in June of 2018, but according to Jackson the Balls are speaking to several sneaker companies vying for his endorsement.
“He’s still wide open,” (LaMelo Ball’s manager Jermaine) Jackson said. “He hasn’t signed with anyone. Everyone is kicking in the door. Melo is open to whatever. With this pandemic going on, we don’t know what things are going to look like.”
Naturally, Puma likely moves to the front of the line after the brothers signed with Roc Nation. Puma was likely one of the teams already chasing Ball given their increased involvement with NBA players a la Marvin Bagley, DeAndre Ayton and RJ Barrett in recent years.
Nike would also likely have a foothold in the game as well given the fact Ball nearly exclusively sported the brand’s sneakers during his time in the NBL.
It’ll also be interesting to note if LaMelo signs independently of brother Lonzo. Both are sneaker free agents and while the latter won’t have quite the demand of the former, both would certainly be big additions to any brand. If the pair sign with Puma, for example, they would almost certainly be the two lead athletes on the basketball side of the roster.
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