NCAA addresses eligibility issue with LaMelo Ball, MB1 shoe line
LaMelo Ball, the youngest brother of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball and a prospect in his own right, became the first high school athlete to debut a signature sneaker with the announcement of his MB1 shoe for Big Baller Brand.
Of course, that distinction would hold more weight if Big Baller Brand wasn't the family business - the result of majordomo LaVar Ball's marketing savvy. That may be by design, however; the unique relationship between LaMelo and his shoe provider exists in a legal gray area as far as Ball's future NCAA eligibility is concerned.
NCAA spokesperson Emily James released the following statement on the issue, via ESPN's Darren Rovell:
If LaMelo Ball is getting paid for BBB shoe deal, he's ineligible. That's of course a harder question to answer when your dad is the CEO. pic.twitter.com/A9gJMECCFN
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 31, 2017
The final sentence in James' statement would seem to imply that LaMelo's college eligibility will not be in jeopardy because of his promotion of the MB1s. The 16-year-old is committed to UCLA as part of the 2019 recruit class.
The NCAA is infamously rigid when it comes to its athletes (or future athletes) being directly or indirectly compensated for their talents. Former NCAA and NBA athlete Ed O'Bannon made news from 2013-14 when he brought and ultimately won an antitrust civil suit against the NCAA for continuing to profit off the likeness of former collegiate athletes.
For that reason, it was no shock to see O'Bannon himself voice his support for the young Ball.
His name, his shoe, should be his profit ..damn the ncaa and their rules
— Ed O'Bannon (@Ed_OBannon) August 31, 2017