NBA 2K announce the Lonzo Ball ZO2’s will be in 2K18

Whether accidental or on purpose, LaVar Ball has become a marketing genius.

Earlier Friday, NBA 2K announced that they would be adding Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball’s Big Baller Brand ZO2 basketball shoes into the upcoming NBA 2K18 video game.

This speaks volumes to the popularity of Lonzo just as a rookie, but it may say a whole lot more about his father LaVar as a business man. As of now, LaVar Ball is playing his cards to near perfection. The ZO2’s have not exactly been met with the best of reviews with many saying that the shoes being priced at nearly $500 is a joke. However, controversy creates exposure and in turn creates cash, and Lonzo Ball and the Big Baller Brand have somehow found a way to get their shoes into NBA 2K18.

There are a couple possible reasons for this. The first being that NBA 2K are trying to find an unnecessary way to get a leg up on their clearly inferior counterparts at EA with NBA Live as they attempt to make their way back into the mainstream acceptance as a sports gaming franchise. The other reason? The aforementioned LaVar Ball. Perhaps the only member of the Ball family to garner more attention than Lonzo is LaVar. Whether it be outlandish comments such as saying he could beat Jordan one-on-one or random appearances on First Take or WWE Monday Night Raw, LaVar has taken a brand and made it mainstream in the most unorthodox way.

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You may love him or you may hate him, but you cannot deny that whatever LaVar Ball touches turns to media gold. He has found a way to use this exposure to his advantage has now landed his son’s first ever shoe in the NBA’s biggest gaming franchise ever.