LaMelo Ball’s Puma contract: How much is the shoe deal worth & why did he snub Big Baller Brand?

LaMelo Ball will soon be lacing up his kicks in the NBA, but he won’t be wearing Big Baller Brand.

The youngest Ball chose to go a different direction than BBB, instead signing a shoe deal with Puma in October. It adds Ball to a burgeoning list of rising stars inked by Puma in recent years, and it means LaMelo has joined his brother Lonzo in going elsewhere rather than re-upping with the family Big Baller Brand started by their father, LaVar.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think LaMelo Ball chose to sign with a different shoe brand than his family’s “Big Baller Brand”?
2. Now that Lonzo and LaMelo have signed elsewhere, do you think Big Baller Brand will continue to maintain a presence in the marketplace? Why or why not?
3. Why do you think LaMelo chose to sign with Puma?
4. According to the details from this news story, how much is Puma paying LaMelo?
5. What is competition? Who do you think might represent Puma’s competition?
6. Why would Puma invest that much in a player who has yet to set foot on a NBA basketball court? Be prepared to discuss your answers.
7. In your opinion, will this move pay off for Puma? Why or why not?