Big Baller Brand
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Footwear, apparel, automotive lifestyle products |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founder | LaVar Ball, Alan Foster |
| Headquarters | Chino Hills, California , United States |
Area served | United States, Lithuania |
Key people | LaVar Ball (co-founder), Alan Foster (co-founder) |
| Products | Footwear, apparel, automotive aftermarket wheels |
Big Baller Brand (BBB) is a United States-based company specializing in the design, production, and retail of footwear and apparel. Established in 2016 by Alan Foster alongside LaVar Ball, BBB gained recognition primarily for its signature sneakers representing the Ball siblings—Lonzo Ball, LaMelo Ball, and LiAngelo Ball. The brand was also the sole financier behind the Junior Basketball Association (JBA) and organized Lithuanian exhibition events such as the Big Baller Brand Challenge Games and Big Baller Brand International Tournament, which showcased LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball.
Origins and history
The initial soft launch of Big Baller Brand was announced for June 2016. Founded by former football athlete LaVar Ball together with Alan Foster, the enterprise was rooted in "fundamental family principles" and headquartered in Chino Hills, California. LaVar Ball created BBB to support his three basketball-playing sons—Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo—each represented by a "B" featured in the company’s logo.
At its inception, BBB offered T-shirts, shorts, and sweatshirts through online sales, collaborating with local design and fulfillment company Garment Decor. In 2017, it partnered with sneaker manufacturer Brandblack to develop shoe designs; Brandblack established an independent agency named Santa Ana Design to preserve creative autonomy. Foster, a close family acquaintance of LaVar Ball, acted as manager and business partner, contributing to the design process of the footwear.
BBB secured registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on March 7, 2017, and trademarked its motto "Built for this" in February 2018.
In March 2019, Lonzo Ball ended his association with co-founder Foster following accusations that Foster had misappropriated $1.5 million from both personal and corporate accounts. Following this, BBB’s website was taken offline in April 2019 with a message indicating reconstruction efforts. By November 2019, visitors to the BBB site were redirected to Alan Foster’s personal homepage, which promised the launch of a new website soon after. A redesigned website appeared functional by December 2020.
Recent developments
In May 2024, Big Baller Brand expanded into automotive lifestyle products through a collaboration with Global Tire Distributors to introduce a range of aftermarket vehicle wheels, marketed as the “first-ever celebrity wheels,” marking a diversification beyond their traditional footwear offerings.
In February 2025, founder LaVar Ball underwent a partial leg amputation but publicly confirmed his ongoing commitment to the brand. That same year, LiAngelo Ball signed with Def Jam Recordings following viral success from his track Tweaker, further broadening the Ball family’s brand reach.
By 2025, Big Baller Brand’s primary focus shifted toward lifestyle and automotive merchandise, having ceased production of new basketball shoes since 2019. In 2024, Lonzo Ball reflected on his early NBA career wearing original Big Baller Brand sneakers, describing them as uncomfortable and potentially contributing to injuries, although he stopped short of directly blaming the brand.
Sportswear
In May 2017, Big Baller Brand announced plans for November release of its inaugural signature sneaker—the ZO2 for Lonzo Ball—with a retail price set at $495. The steep cost drew widespread media scrutiny and criticism. LaVar Ball responded via Twitter stating that those unable to afford the ZO2 were "NOT a BIG BALLER," which sparked additional controversy. He also declared in interviews that any major sportswear corporation such as Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour seeking collaboration would have to meet his $3 billion valuation. Sales figures reported ranged between 400 and 520 pairs of the ZO2 sold. Later on, LaVar minimized the shoe’s craftsmanship as merely "stitching and glue."
On August 31, 2017, Big Baller Brand unveiled the Melo Ball 1 (MB1), LaMelo Ball’s signature sneaker designed to be extremely lightweight according to his specifications and priced at $395.
In December 2017, announcements were made regarding LiAngelo Ball’s signature shoe initially called Gelo 3 following his departure from UCLA. Priced similarly to MB1 at approximately $395, it was later renamed G3 Lux during his professional tenure in Lithuania.
LaVar Ball also introduced signature footwear lines for himself named "LaVariccis" and for his wife Tina titled "The Comeback," inspired by her recovery from a stroke in 2017.
On October 17, 2018, Big Baller Brand released a more affordable variant of Lonzo’s shoe—the ZO2.19—priced at $200.
Additional Offerings
After LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball signed professional contracts with Vytautas Prienai–Birštonas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), Big Baller Brand broadened its footprint in Lithuania during 2018. On February 9, 2018, the company formed a partnership with Birštonas Mineral Water, a Lithuanian bottled water firm sponsoring Vytautas, aiming to introduce the water to the U.S. market at price points comparable to Perrier and S.Pellegrino. In May 2024, Big Baller Brand debuted Big Baller Brand Wheels—high-end aftermarket wheels designed for cars and trucks—in collaboration with Global Tire Distributors, distributed through Discounted Wheel Warehouse.
Sponsorships
LaVar Ball unveiled the Junior Basketball Association (JBA) on December 20, 2017, a professional basketball league entirely financed by Big Baller Brand as an alternative pathway to college basketball for recent high school graduates. The league commenced operations in summer 2018, offering players monthly salaries ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 while mandating exclusive use of Big Baller Brand apparel and footwear. LaMelo Ball was announced as a participant and served as the league's prominent figurehead.
On January 5, 2018, Vytautas exited the Baltic Basketball League to host five exhibition matches titled the Big Baller Brand Challenge Games. These events highlighted the Ball brothers and featured extensive promotion of the brand through Facebook live broadcasts. LaVar Ball made significant financial contributions to Vytautas, assisting in debt clearance and securing Big Baller Brand as the primary sponsor. Additionally, the team competed in the Big Baller Brand International Tournament and other exhibition games against squads like China’s Guangdong Southern Tigers and Britain’s London Lions, with LaVar acting as coach during these fixtures.
Lonzo Ball released his first rap album, Born 2 Ball, on February 15, 2018, under Big Baller Music Group—a subsidiary of Big Baller Brand managed by an associate close to LaVar.
In April 2018, NBA player Jordan Crawford became the first professional athlete outside the Ball family to engage with Big Baller Brand after wearing their ZO2 shoes during a game. He publicly commended the company’s business model. The following month, rapper Quavo from Migos showcased Big Baller Brand products on Instagram and was reportedly targeted as a potential brand ambassador.
Customer Service
In January 2018, the Better Business Bureau assigned Big Baller Brand an F rating due to recurring complaints involving extensive delays—sometimes spanning weeks or months—in processing orders. Customers also reported receiving incorrect items or incomplete shipments and encountered difficulties reaching the company for support. In May 2018, MLB All-Star Adam Jones publicly mentioned that he received his ZO2 Prime Remix shoes a full year after placing his order. By 2019, the BBB continued to uphold the F rating while maintaining efforts to address ongoing concerns with the brand.