NCAABy Sean Keeley on

Little brothers always seem to be looking up to their older brothers. If the older brother gets a new toy, they want that same toy. If the older brother plays a sport, the younger one tries to emulate him. And if the older brother gets his own signature sneaker that retails for $495, then the little brother better get his own sneaker as well.

LaVar Ball’s Big Baller Brand is all about promoting him and his three sons. The oldest, Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, already has a “successful” shoe to his name. Ever the entrepreneur who knows when to strike when the iron is hot, LaVar isn’t waiting for his third son LaMelo to get to the pros before introducing his own sneaker. In fact, he’s not even waiting until LaMelo gets to college.

The Melo Ball 1, or MB1, is now available for pre-order through Big Baller Brand’s website for $395. Guess you gotta factor in the little brother discount.

You probably have a lot of questions. Cheif among them would be, “Uh, doesn’t it make the high school junior ineligible to play college basketball now?”

Maybe? Probably? One person who doesn’t seem that worried about it is LaVar Ball.

“We’ll worry about it when we get there,” LaVar 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.”

The Ball Family is at least hesitant enough not to give middle brother LiAngelo Ball his own shoe just yet. He’s a freshman for the UCLA Bruins and would definitely see his eligibility compromised if he endorsed the brand.

In the meantime, Twitter has seen the sneakers and Twitter’s got jokes.

https://twitter.com/abe_squad/status/903303100034842625

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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