Source: Allen Berezovsky / Getty
Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster is legally at war with the Ball family… again.
This time, Foster not only named LaVar Ball but also Charlotte Hornets LaMelo, his wife Tina, and PUMA.
In the lawsuit filed in California this week, Foster alleges that they cheated him out of millions of dollars because he was an integral part of LaMelo’s development. LaMelo was a human highlight reel while attending Chino Hills High School, and his brand began to grow with each feat, including scoring 92 points in a game.
Foster claims he was then responsible for helping design Melo’s first signature sneaker under the Big Baller Brand name, the MB1.
However, tides changed years later when his relationship with LaVar soured, and the Ball patriarch allegedly tried to force Foster out of the company by creating another BBB and transferring Foster’s trademarks over to the new company.
PUMA’s involvement comes later, with Foster saying the footwear giant named Melo’s signature shoe, the MB.01, which is too similar to the MB1 name, thus infringing on his trademark.
“He knew that his Big Baller Brand signature shoe was called the ‘MB1’ and that the name was protected by federal trademark. Yet, despite his knowledge of all of this, LaMelo willfully and deliberately chose to name the signature shoe he created and designed with PUMA the ‘MB1’ in violation of the LaMelo Trademarks,” the lawsuit reads according to TMZ.
The most eye-opening part of the lawsuit is that, for his troubles, Foster wants $200 million.
This isn’t the first time Foster took legal action against the Ball Family; in 2019, he filed a civil lawsuit against his former business partner, alleging LaVar embezzled $2.5 million from their company.
“LaVar is a liar who fraudulently utilized BBB and BSG to fund his personal lifestyle,” the court filings read.
Foster was also sued by Lonzo Ball that year for $1.5 million after he had access to the eldest brother’s personal and business finances.
