Lonzo Ball believes the Big Baller Brand shoes he wore as a rookie could have contributed to the first meniscus injury he suffered in July 2018. Ball said the shoes were like "kickball shoes."
"I think it's a possibility for sure, to be honest with you," Ball said. "I wasn't really getting hurt like that until I started wearing them."
Ball chose the surgery with the quickest recovery time in order to try to help the Los Angeles Lakers make a playoff run. By the time he was cleared after 15 games missed, the Lakers were eight games back of eighth place.
"I was an Adidas kid since high school, so I was thinking that was going to be the route," Ball said. "But what was told to me, I guess, wasn't what really happened. I was told that nobody wanted to partner with me, so my dad was like, 'Just rock the brand.' And I was like, 'All right.'"
Ball said he wonders whether there were already cartilage issues deep within his knee before he even reached the NBA. Ball spent years playing on concrete and running springs in Chino Hills State Park.
"My uncle used to always tell me, 'Y'all play too much outside,' because we were playing super hard in the backyard. That's on concrete," Ball said. "That was at least 15 years. So I mean, all that, over time, it can't be good for your knees."
