Little Ball bro has shoe line, in high school

LaMelo Ball is arguably the most famous high school basketball player in America. He also is now the only one with his own shoe.

Big Baller Brand unveiled the “Melo Ball 1” on Thursday, a customized shoe for the youngest of media ringmaster LaVar Ball’s three basketball-playing sons. The company run by the elder Ball is taking pre-orders for the shoe now, with shipping likely in December.

The cost is $395, which is $100 less than the price of the “ZO2,” the original Big Baller shoe named after oldest son, Lonzo Ball, a soonto-be rookie with the Lakers.

LaMelo Ball is considered one of the top-10 prospects in the Class of 2019, which means he still has two years of high school left. He will remain eligible at Chino Hills High School, the Los Angeles Times reported. The youngest Ball scored 92 points in a game last season for Chino Hills, but still isn’t considered a prospect of the same caliber as his oldest brother.

Having and profiting from your own shoe certainly seems like it could be an issue for Ball’s future NCAA eligibility. He is expected to go to UCLA, following in the footsteps of Lonzo and middle brother LiAngelo.

For now, the Balls are not worried about potential issues with the NCAA.

“We’ll worry about it when we get there,” LaVar Ball told ESPN. “Who cares? If he can’t play, then he can’t play. It doesn’t mean he’ll stop working out and getting better. … Maybe in two years they’ll change the rule and he’ll be able to go to the NBA straight out of high school.”

Though LaVar Ball has done plenty to try to profit from his oldest and youngest sons, the middle one has been conspicuously absent from his antics. It turns out the Balls do care about the NCAA, at least when it comes to LiAngelo’s career — even if it he isn’t expected to be an elite player like his brothers.

LaVar Ball purposely has excluded the incoming freshman guard from Big Baller Brand merchandise, according to SlamOnline.com, so as not to risk his NCAA eligibility.