LaVar Ball has proven throughout his son Lonzo Ball’s entire basketball career so far that he wanted to use it to make himself a star. That star will rise much higher now because LaVar Ball has set up a deal to have him and his sons star in a new Reality Series that will air on Facebook. This is one of two new series that will air as Facebook tries to branch out into video content along with the Mike Rose series “Returning the Favor.”
The LaVar Ball series
The new LaVar Ball Facebook series will focus on him and his sons Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo and their lives on and off the basketball court.
Lonzo Ball was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. LiAngelo and LaMelo both play for Chino Hills High School and both have commitments to play for UCLA in college. Deadline was the original site to break the news and reports that there is no word on the number or the length of the episodes for the Facebook series.
The entire idea for Facebook is to have creators and partners work to make their own shows for the platform. Nick Grudin, the Vice President of Media Partnerships told Deadline that they want to focus on episodic shows and work on ideas that will work across different verticals. The LaVar Ball show isn’t the only sports-related series Facebook is working on as they also plan to stream live soccer matches from the UEFA Champions League.
The LaVar Ball Family
ESPN reported that Lonzo Ball signed a $33 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers this week. LiAngelo Ball starts at UCLA in the 2017-18 season. LaMelo is still in high school. LaVar Ball has already worked out many deals other than the Facebook series. He had Lonzo and LaMelo appear with him on WWE Monday Night Raw last week in a popular segment.
However, when it comes to the biggest money maker for basketball players, LaVar has chosen to go independent with Lonzo’s shoes rather than sign with a company like Nike.
The Lonzo Ball shoes cost $495, which caused Shaquille O’Neal to accuse LaVar of taking advantage of kids who want shoes. LaVar responded at the time that they only care about selling to “Bill Ballers,” hence the name Big Baller Brand.
While the Lonzo Ball shoes are the first step for LaVar Ball to make money off his son’s name, there is no word yet on whether outside ventures like the Facebook series will hurt his younger son’s eligibility, especially in the NCAA. All three of the boys are reported to star in the new series.
