Lamelo Ball is Being Sued For $200 Million

LaMelo Ball's former business associate and co-founder of Big Baller Brand, Alan Foster, is apparently suing both Ball and Puma for $200 million in damages. The claim comes from Foster, believing that they have stolen his idea for LaMelo's signature shoe, the "MB1."

BREAKING: LaMelo Ball and PUMA are being sued by Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster for $200M in damages.

Foster alleges he came up with the idea for the «MB1» shoe line years ago, which was then used for Melo's first signature shoe.

(via TMZ) pic.twitter.com/LfBkqWC9g2— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 9, 2023

Big Baller Brand

Big Baller Brand is a sports apparel company originally founded around the Ball family and the three brothers Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo Ball. When the eldest son, Lonzo, was first drafted into the NBA, Big Baller Brand released a highly controversial signature shoe named the ZO1.


Lonzo became the first athlete out of college to enter the NBA with a signature shoe, but due to the fact that they were made by their own company rather than an established shoe company, the quality was severely lacking. Lonzo was rumored to be switching shoes between games because of the lack of durability, and they are even cited as possibly the biggest reason for Lonzo's ongoing injury, which has seen him sidelined for multiple seasons.

Lamelo Ball Signs For Puma

Multiple years younger than his eldest brother, LaMelo was able to learn from Lonzo's experiences getting into the NBA. He elected a much different route to the draft by playing overseas in Lithuania and Australia, unlike Lonzo, who played in college.

Another thing he changed up from his brother was coming into the NBA with his own Big Baller Brand shoe. While there were rumored plans to develop one, Lonzo's incidents with his own shoe gave vital lessons to his younger brother, who signed with Puma on a deal worth $100 million back in 2020.

A year after signing with the company, LaMelo Ball released his own signature shoe, the "MB1," and now in 2023, he is selling his third signature shoe under the same name, "MB3."

LaMelo Ball's first signature shoes with Puma is finally here! 😱

The Hornets point guard is expected to rock these in the upcoming season and it will be released on the market in December for $125 a pair 👟 pic.twitter.com/GVfxe9LBQb— Hornets Nation (@HornetsNationCP) October 13, 2021

The Puma x LaMelo Ball MB2 'Supernova' is available on Champs CA 🇨🇦

Menshttps://t.co/61vSWkrb6Q

GShttps://t.co/Tvtb4lcuT2 pic.twitter.com/90Dk9DdFpQ— CDN Notify 🇨🇦 (@CDNnotify) November 3, 2022

LaMelo Ball really made Puma partners with his own brand Lafrancé🛸🙌 dude is special 🛸
Lots of options next szn 🥰
Puma mb03 ‘Lafrance'#melo #puma #nba #kicks pic.twitter.com/1L1pWKNGQ2— Gbolahan Terun (@Gbolahan_Terun) August 28, 2023

Foster Sues Puma

Foster is claiming that Puma is using his original idea for the LaMelo Ball signature shoe. It is unknown whether this claim is about the concept of the shoe, the name, or the design itself, but it is well-documented how Foster had worked alongside the Ball family when he co-founded the company several years ago. Puma and LaMelo are yet to publicly speak about the matter.