Lonzo Ball’s attempt at a self-made shoe and apparel company may be coming to an end if his hints on social media are any indication.
On Friday, it was reported that Ball and his family had cut ties with Alan Foster, the co-founder of Big Baller Brand, over concerns of fraud and embezzlement. Later that day, the Los Angeles Lakers point guard updated his profile picture on Twitter to one of him as a child wearing a Nike T-Shirt.
On Saturday, Lonzo posted the following image to his Instagram, featuring a caption used on many Nike advertisements with their featured athletes:
It seems pretty clear that Lonzo is hinting at moving on from BBB and endorsing Nike, instead. It’s a move that makes sense for the young point guard as he continues to play in the second largest market in the NBA. In the event that he’s traded to a smaller market, cashing in on his name and reputation now would be the wiser play.
Along with the two hints, it appears as though Lonzo has deleted all photos of his father and all photos of him wearing BBB apparel on his Instagram. That seems to be what the hashtag “My Own Man” is alluding to. (h/t to Christian Rivas of Lonzo Wire for noticing that).
It’s not immediately clear what would happen to Big Baller Brand if Lonzo does indeed make the move. He has the largest share in the company at 51 percent with his father, LaVar, holding the next biggest piece at 16.4 percent. With the legal issues stemming from the separation with Foster (who holds a 16.3 percent stake), this could be a lengthy process.
