Sixteen-year-old high school basketball star LaMelo Ball just made history by becoming the first teenage athlete to have his own signature shoe.
The youngest member of the Ball family just dropped the first images of his Melo Ball 1 or “MB1” sneaker. He’s following in the footsteps of his older brother, Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, by coming out with his own shoe independently through their family business, Big Baller Brand.
Just like his brother’s shoes, the LaMelo Ball sneakers are pretty expensive ($395). But it’s not the price that has our teens talking, it’s the design. Here’s what a group of VOXers had to say about the teenage phenomenon’s sneakers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYdzKAwhVLP/?hl=en&taken-by=bigballerbrand
Calvin, 15: They ugly. They look like D.Rose sneakers or look like they might be in Ross. They could’ve just came out with some solid black ones. But basketball fans might buy them because they LaMelo Ball’s shoes.
Kenneth, 17: The hell? They look like he took the patterns from a pair of Yeezy’s and put them on some Sketchers from Wal-Mart.
Rin, 16 : Why is everyone flaming on these shoes? Y’all know it’s better than walking around in some toe’up Jordans. They are sharp and well made at first impression, very professional.
Chris, 15: I think it’s great for student athletes to be represented like this…but them shoes is ugly.
Kaylynn, 17: I don’t like sneakers, but that’s cool that he has his own shoe.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYd5LQdh3p3/?hl=en&taken-by=bigballerbrand
Roya, 17: I think they’re really ugly but I also don’t know anything about basketball shoes, so maybe that’s how they’re supposed to look.
Mack, 15: They’re not supposed to look like that, lol. I’d buy them for the purpose of reselling, because anything with “Ball” or “Big Baller Brand” is selling. I’d rock the ZO2 Triple Whites though. I dig them.
Juliana, 16: I’m really sad that the these had to be the first shoes by a high school player.
Alexandria, 19: I think it’s good that he’s in high school and making big business decisions, but these shoes are your basic basketball shoe. There’s nothing super unique about them and they seem to go with the “fast fashion” trend we already have. I do support him for having his own shoe line though. Other than that, if you were to sell this to Nike and put a “swoosh” on it, you still have the same shoe they already have.
Photo courtesy BigBallerBrand.com
Save the date! Share your voice – Dec. 9.
This semester we invite you to join VOX teens in a community dialogue about immigration. Create art. Slam poetry. Meet each other. Follow along this semester’s investigation voxatl.org/category/vox-investigates/.
