There will be "no waiver" given to the brothers of NBA Draft prospect Lonzo Ball that would allow them to wear Big Baller Brand sneakers at UCLA instead of Under Armour shoes, according to Jeff Barker of the Baltimore SUN. Last year, UA signed UCLA to a 15-year, $280M outfitting deal that begins July 1. Lonzo Ball's brother, LiAngelo, is to "enroll at UCLA next season," and his other brother, LaMelo, has also "verbally committed to the school." While people "might think they'd want to wear the family shoe brand in games," university endorsement contracts "typically contain few exceptions to requirements that teams exclusively showcase the brand" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 5/11).
BALL ME, BLAZER: YAHOO SPORTS' Malika Andrews noted Pelicans G Jordan Crawford is "rolling with the Big Baller Brand." Crawford on Wednesday tweeted he "shelled out $695 for a pair" of ZO2 shoes. He "had to pay an extra $200" because he is a size 14 shoe. Other players have said that they "respect what the Ball family is trying to do, but haven’t mentioned actually purchasing the shoe." Warriors F Draymond Green "mentioned that he liked the idea" on his podcast. Green: "I like the concept, but I think they’re going about the whole thing wrong. ... I want everybody to be good. But $500 for a basketball shoe? Who we kidding?" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/11).
