How LaVar Ball Revolutionized Marketing

As of 2020, the Ball family has become a household name. With a combination of basketball talent, witty personality, and media fiascoes, they’ve established themselves as an unforgettable personality in modern media. This begs the question, how did they rise? The majority of their media exposure can be traced back to one of the most controversial figures in basketball media, LaVar Ball.  When talking about LaVar Ball, many fail to realize the amazing businessman that he truly is. Behind the personality, LaVar is a marketing genius. 

The Ball family began their true rise to notoriety on December 26, 2016, when youngest child LaMelo Ball earned his first dose of internet stardom. At the age of 15, he scored 65 points during a basketball game for his high school, Chino Hills. While walking up the court, LaMelo calmly pointed at the halfcourt line (50 feet from the basket) and proceeded to knock down the shot without hesitation.

From the unbelievable confidence to LaMelo simply laughing after the shot was made, the clip went viral. Earning millions of views online, the attention began to spread to the other children of the Ball family. Brothers Lonzo and LiAngelo became members of “The Ball Brothers,” a term that would be used to describe the trio as they built a family personality. 

While the hype was building, father LaVar Ball was concocting one of the most entertaining marketing campaigns the sports world had ever seen. In order to maintain the relevancy and hype of the family, he decided to yell louder than everybody else. LaVar went on a multitude of large sportscasts and networks, including The Herd, and proceeded to badmouth a number of NBA legends, including greats such as Michael Jordan. Being quoted as saying, “Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one” LaVar quickly rose to the top of the headlines.

He called out Charles Barkley, saying, “If Charles thought like me, maybe he’d win a championship” and players like LeBron James, calling the Lakers “Lonzo Ball’s team” and noting that LeBron “can’t teach him nothing.” He attacked Stephen Curry, Magic Johnson, the NCAA, and many more notable public figures.  

Naturally, LaVar took over the internet. Although he received hate for his outlandish comments, he had the eyes of the public. After establishing a strong media presence, LaVar began to build the family business, Big Baller Brand. Through his colorful personality, he became one of the most entertaining men in America.

The fanbase around the family had grown so strong that he was able to debut a shoe line for LaMelo Ball, who was still in high school. In the order of Lonzo, LaMelo, LiAngelo, all three kids would receive their own custom shoes. Pricing some of his products at over $400, LaVar managed to capitalize on the hype of a half-court shot. He had become a staple in the basketball community, and for a brief moment in time, everybody wanted to be seen with the new “BBB” (even I bought some).

LaVar claims the brand was worth over a billion dollars, and while that’s likely a stretch, BBB held the crown on the internet for a year or two. As of now, all three Ball brothers have played some form of professional basketball. The kids amass millions of followers on social media, and have their own TV show “Ball in the family.” Lonzo Ball is a rising point guard for the New Orleans Pelicans, LaMelo is a projected top 5 pick for the approaching NBA draft, and LiAngelo is a businessman/G league player.

While he may be the bearer of some unbelievable quotes, LaVar Ball is a marketing genius. By saying things that everyone else was afraid of, he managed to earn notoriety and fame for his family and cement the Ball family as one of the most entertaining in sports history.