Where To Buy Lonzo Ball's $495 ZO2 Signature Shoe, Available For Pre-Order Now

Lonzo Ball, former UCLA star and the potential No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft, announced the release of his first line of signature shoes Thursday, which will be exclusively released by his family’s Big Baller Brand. The shoes are now available for pre-ordering on the company’s website.

“The shoe was made independently by my family brand,” Ball said in a promotional video. “Creating the shoe was a lot of fun, especially being able to add my own creative input throughout the process. I look forward to working with my fellow athletes, pushing the culture forward and empowering the upcoming generation.”

The Big Baller Brand revealed the ZO2 footwear line whose main offering is the ZO2 Prime, a low-top basketball sneaker that “was meticulously developed at every stage by Lonzo Ball,” according to the website. It is priced at $495 on the company website, but if you wear sizes 14 or 15, you have to shell out $695 for a pair.

A Slam Magazine report said the ZO2 Prime will cost $495 because the brand “is aiming for Lonzo’s signature sneaker to tap into a new market – above the athletic performance kicks from the likes of Nike, Jordan, Adidas and Under Armour, but below the high-end designer shoes of Gucci, Prada or Louis Vuitton.”

There’s also the ZO2 Wet that has a price tag of $995 ( $1,195 for sizes 14 and 15). Autographed by Ball, it will come in a key-locked acrylic glass box “with cool white LED lighting.”

And if you think both of these are a bit too expensive for you, then you might want to buy the ZO2 Slide, which are not exactly basketball shoes but slippers with Ball’s insignia. These are being sold for $220.

The Big Baller Brand website clearly mentions that no refunds or exchanges are offered, and that all sales of the ZO2 are final. And irrespective of which pair you choose to buy, the footwear will be shipped only by Nov. 24.

The release of the signature line came one week after ESPN reported that apparel giants like Adidas, Nike or Under Armour had turned down the licensing deal offered to them by Lavar Ball, the player’s father.

“We said from the beginning, we aren’t looking for an endorsement deal,” Lavar Ball told ESPN last week. “We’re looking for co-branding, a true partner. But they’re not ready for that because they’re not used to that model. But hey, the taxi industry wasn’t ready for Uber, either.”

Ball is the first basketball player to have his very own independently made signature shoe line before his pick for the NBA draft is finalized.

Other apparel on the Big Baller Brand website includes shirts for both men and women, as well as hats, ranging from $38 to $100.

Social media users criticized the sneakers, calling them too expensive. Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal, whose shoes retail for between $13 and $68 at Walmart, also commented on the ZO2 in a tweet.

Lavar Ball responded to the tweets, defending the high price tag in an unusual way.

There were also some others who supported the Baller way of brand-building.

"You have to respect Lavar being entrepreneurial, betting on himself and trying to build a business," said Jason Stein, CEO of New York-based ad agency Laundry Service. "He's a larger-than-life character and generating a ton of attention. The shoes are nothing special and grossly overpriced, but I suspect that's intentional. In the context of building a brand — his brand — it's working,” Stein added, according to ESPN.