Lonzo Ball, former UCLA point guard who is expected to be an early 2017 NBA Draft pick and his dad LaVar Ball, sent the sports world in a frenzy when they announced the upcoming release of Lonzo’s signature shoe, the ‘ZO2’. Now the shoe looks pretty cool. Fans weren’t taking to social media to bash it for the aesthetics, the way they do Steph Curry seemingly every time he debuts a sneaker. No, fans were laughing at the kicks because of its $495 price tag. That’s the cheaper version might I add, there is a version of the ZO2 for $995 which comes with Lonzo signature. Keep in mind, these shoes aren’t affiliated with any of the brands we are familiar with. These aren’t the ZO2 by Nike or ZO2 in conjunction with Adidas. These are the ZO2 by Big Baller Brand (BBB), an independent company started by the Ball family.

How did the Ball family end up going the independent route? The dad, LaVar Ball hasn’t been shy about his mission since he first popped up on our television screens sometime last year. He has 3 sons, the aforementioned Lonzo and two other talented basketball players who are still in high school. LaVar told anyone who was willing to put a mic in his face that if the sneaker companies wanted to sign his son they would have to pay a billion dollars. LaVar’s thinking is he doesn’t have just one basketball star but 2 other future pros living in his house as well. Getting in early to lock up all that talent at a billion dollars is a bargain for sneaker companies believes LaVar. Sneaker companies weren’t open to that price tag or discussing a partnership between their brand and BBB, which was another idea LaVar was throwing out there. What usually takes place is Nike offers the rookies a modest amount of money, if the kid blows up, in a few years then they will be willing to discuss bigger opportunities. This is how it was done for all the athletes of yesteryear as well, even the great Michael Jordan. LaVar wasn’t having this arrangement, he wasn’t going to watch sneaker companies pay his boy X amount of dollars then turn around to profit 5 times as much. When speaking on how the old guard does business, LaVar said “Why is it OK for someone else to make all this money off my kids? I created these boys. This is my family business. … We are going to build this empire for the family.” LaVar, with family in tow, essentially took his ball and went home, no pun intended. They said they didn’t need the corporations and decided to build their own.

This is where I say the joke is on the hecklers out there. They condemn the Balls for not taking the guaranteed money and opting for the unknown of entrepreneurship. I am willing to bet many of those hecklers are part of the labor force in their own careers. They have things at their place of employment they aren’t happy about and wish they could change. I am sure they would like a higher salary, more vacation days, the ability to come in a little late and leave a little early. I am sure they would like the ability to hire a friend or family member. With the Ball family taking a shot on themselves and their brand, these are all factors in their business that they can control. How can they laugh at LaVar Ball who is fighting for the ability to control his and his family’s destiny? Specifically those of us in the minority community who are fearful of being on the wrong end of discriminatory hiring practices, yall better not be reigning down judgement on BBB. The Balls are minimalizing the vulnerability of traditional sponsorships where CEO’s put a cap on the athlete’s value. With the Ball brand, every time Lonzo performs well and the fans follow suit by patronizing his gear, he can reap the benefits instantly!

With traditional deals, an athlete can’t walk into Under Armour headquarters and say hey I want to make my high school buddy V.P. of Community Relations. No, you’re a just an employee, you don’t call shots. But with the Big Baller Brand, the Brand they built, they can go to that friend and give him a position. They can go to anyone in their life that was instrumental in their development and not just give handouts but empower them, give them a chance to be a part of building something they can all call their own. Those opportunities don’t exist with traditional deals.

What if Lonzo gets in trouble? Traditional sponsors drop athletes before the judge can even set bail. When Mike Vick got caught in his dog case, Nike ran far far away from him. When you control the product the way Lonzo does, you don’t have to worry about that. When we found out Tiger had girls in different area codes Nike told him sit on the shelf for a while. Nike didn’t bring him back until he did that pitiful commercial apologizing to us for his infidelities (yeah that one still makes me scratch my head) but when you call the shots, you don’t have to worry about anyone putting you on a yo-yo the way Nike did Tiger.

Critics have also asked what has Lonzo done to warrant charging $495 for a shoe. My response is the same thing Gucci has done to charge the outlandish prices they do. If they can charge those numbers, why can’t he? In fact, those designer brand prices are actually more egregious than BBB. Companies like Nike have a factory that produces at a mass clip for cheap, their margins are probably through the roof. The Ball’s don’t have such engine behind them so it probably cost a little more to produce which can explain the larger than average price tag. People also say he needs to wait his turn. Did Mark Zuckerberg wait his turn, or did he snatch the world by storm unpredictably with Facebook? The Ball crew are set on disrupting the sneaker business, they are going for victory and going for it now!

Can the sneakers be priced a bit cheaper? Probably. Can LaVar’s brash delivering be off-putting? Sometimes. But don’t let that distract you from the magnificent feat he has already pulled off, captaining his own ship. I am sure everyone on that Forbes list was laughed at at some point in their career. I know Steve Jobs was, and now you folks can’t get out of your bed without Siri, literally. I would just caution you on who you laugh at, you may be looking to them for a job one day.