The polarizing Big Baller Brand has filed a trademark for the “MeloBall1.”
What hasn’t been said about Big Baller Brand? The independent company headed up by the eldest Ball, Lavar, seems to have split anyone interested in basketball or sneakers.
Seemingly, half of us feel the brand’s outlandish pricing and knock-off-ish designs are not to be taken seriously while the other half of us feel that what the Ball family is doing is great for independent brands and entrepreneurship.
Regardless of how you feel about the brand, it has been making headlines — and it is again with reports of a second signature model in the works.
ESPN’s Darren Rovell has reported that the brand has filed to trademark “MeloBall 1”, presumably for a future LaMelo Ball signature model.
The Big Baller Brand has already filed to trademark "MeloBall1," presumably the future shoe of LaMelo Ball, who is a junior in high school.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 18, 2017
What do you think about a potential LaMelo Ball signature model? Let us know what you think in the comments section below or on social media with the #WearTesters.
“Seemingly, half of us feel the brand’s outlandish pricing and knock-off-ish designs are not to be taken seriously while the other half of us feel that what the Ball family is doing is great for independent brands and entrepreneurship.”
I’m on both sides of this argument. I don’t know why Lavar didn’t go the Marbury/first KD route and make an affordable shoe that can move more units instead of a $500 shoe that will sit in his garage.
I’m with you. But this isn’t an opinion piece. If it was, it would sound a lot like what you just said.
Easy. He can’t. Starbury went out of business. Why? Because they weren’t making enough money. The high price ensures they make a profit even if they only sell a few Zo2’s.
I think the real question is, “Does anyone care that BBB is making another shoe?”
What people seem to not understand is that Ball does not want the shoe to sell, he priced it for the publicity. It was a brilliant move, as everyone talks about it. Anyone who has followed or read up on controversial personalities in entertainment and sport knows that trash talk and self promotion is a huge part of the business, especially when creating your own brand. Two of my personal heroes Muhammad Ali and James Brown understood this very well. Ali knew that more people paid to see you if they hated you, then wanting to see you get beat. James Brown knew that the crazier the stuff was that you did while on stage, the more people talked about you, then wanting to see your show. Lavar Ball is simply following their example, and it is working. More power to him, but at least he has “stayed in his own lane”, then not run for President of the United States…
sorry but I disagree with your analogy. the difference is that both James Brown and Muhammad Ali have the goods on what they are talking about. on the otherhand, I would say that Lavar is following the Kardacrap principle of marketing.
You are looking at the finished product, what they both became. On the way up, both Ali/Clay and Brown were ridiculed for being too loud and in your face. Ali when climbing up the ranks was call nothing but a loud mouth, a non traditional fighter who made too many mistakes, until he fought Sonny Liston, then beating him. James Brown was ridiculed by his peers being called “ugly”, and that his sound was too loud and not “musical” enough in the literal sense. According to the “experts”, he didn’t have to “goods”, either.
The formula is there, and it works, and yes, the Kardashian’s used it as well.
In the book “Kill’em and Leave”, the author James McBride explores The Godfather of Soul and what spawned his creation. I know for a fact that Lavar Ball has read that book just by his actions. I find it funny that it seems that hardly anyone else has, considering how important success seems to be for most people.
Poor Liangelo, getting skipped over. *sniff*