Lonzo Ball acknowledged his injuries with the Los Angeles Lakers were likely due to his own questionably-made Big Baller Brand shoes in a recent interview.
Ball, 21, made the startling admission about his poorly constructed kicks during a LightHarted podcast with teammate Josh Hart.
“If you literally have those shoes from those games, they’re exploded,” Ball said.
Ever wonder why @ZO2_ switched up his shoes every game during summer league rookie year? LightHarted gives you the exclusive look 😂. Presented by @venmo
FULL VIDEO HERE👉: https://t.co/aGZsTg5mZD pic.twitter.com/qq03jqZdRY
— LightHarted Podcast (@lighthartedpod) September 4, 2019
You will recall, Big Baller Brand (BBB) introduced Ball’s shoes before he played in his first game with the Lakers.
The $495 signature “ZO2 Prime” had a disappointing debut, by all indications.
Things did not get any better from there – and quality was likely a big reason why.
“Cause they were my shoe. I had to debut them,” he said.
“We went so far with it. I’m like, ‘Cool, I can get a quarter in, but that’s it. We gotta switch them every quarter.’
The problem with Ball’s admission is that it essentially confirms what a lot of people have believed for years – his injury prone nature was at least partially due to his shoes.
Over the course of his brief stint with the Lakers, Ball hurt his ankle on three separate occasions.
“Yeah, they talked to me,” Ball said in an interview with ESPN, when asked if the organization pressed him about his BBB shoes.
Yikes Klay. https://t.co/xh2s7olPJs
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 12, 2020
“They asked me about it, and I told ’em, ‘I feel comfortable. If I wasn’t comfortable, I wouldn’t play in ’em. If I didn’t play in [his signature BBB shoes], I’d play in Kobe [Bryant’s signature Nike shoe]. I work out in [LeBron James’ signature Nike shoe], but that’s because they’re heavier.”
Injuries led to Ball playing in only 52 and 47 games over the course of his first two years in the NBA. He may be laughing about it now, but Lakers brass probably isn’t.
Fortunately, he is the New Orleans Pelicans’ problem now.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
