LaVar Ball, Lonzo Ball's Big Baller shoe sales aren't impressive so far

Lonzo Ball’s basketball ZO2 sneakers and sandals have sold over the last week, although not at the Big Baller level father LaVar Ball proclaimed they would.

According to the inventory data in the source code for the company’s website, gathered by The Los Angeles Times, just around 500 pairs of the Big Baller-branded three models of shoes and sandals were ordered in the first week — they debuted May 4, and numbers are through the afternoon of May 11. That includes around 360 pairs of the $495 Primes — the low-cut black shoes with the family’s triple-B logo etched on the back. Around 125 pairs of the $995 autographed-in-gold shoes sold, while very few of the $220 ZO2 Signature Slides sandals were purchased. That equates to close to $290,000 of footwear sales through the first week.

The shoe sales do not match what LaVar Ball said on Fox Sports 1’s Undisputed on Monday, in which he said at least 495 pairs were sold then. He didn’t include an exact number.

Although getting plenty of traction on social media — including endorsements from the likes of Michael Bennett and Chad Ochocinco Johnson and criticism from Shaquille O’Neal, Big Baller Brand reportedly sold 263 pairs of signed and unsigned shoes through the first 24 hours. So, the sales surely have slowed down since the Day 1 hype that also included a wide array of media coverage.

When the shoes were unveiled, LaVar Ball tweeted, “If you can’t afford the ZO2s, you’re NOT a BIG BALLER!”

The highly-priced sneakers are pre-orders that don’t ship until November.

Lonzo Ball, an All-America freshman at UCLA this past season, in March declared for the NBA draft, where he is a surefire top-three pick this June. Companies such as Nike, Under Armour and Adidas passed on endorsement deals that would have co-branded the family’s apparel and shoe line.

Former Bruins teammate T.J. Leaf said of Lonzo’s shoes at the NBA draft combine on Thursday, “the pricing is what it is. (The Ball family) is going to do what they think is right at the end of the day. …I didn’t get a pair yet. Hopefully Lonzo will send me one so I can try them out.”