My main problem with Lavar is that he does a lot of it to draw attention to himself, not his kids. I don't have a problem with his kids. I don't think Lonzo is going to be anything close to a star unless he can improve his shot, but I think he'll at least be a serviceable NBA player.
And I don't have a problem with Lonzo wanting to go the Big Ball Brand route for his shoe sponsorship, assuming he was the one who made that call. What I worry about with BBB is if Lavar is exploiting his sons there. Who gets the profits? It kind of seems to me that part of the reason Lavar wants Lonzo with BBB is so that Lavar can rake in a profit (if the company ever makes money) and not because it is the best thing for Lonzo. If Lonzo signs with Nike or whoever, then that money goes to Lonzo. If he's with BBB, then Lavar can make money too.
Lavar is a personal trainer. He has no business education that I am aware of, and has no experience with negotiating marketing deals or running an apparel company. Is it really smart to bring your sons into your business when you don't even know how to run one? Especially when your son could get a great deal of guaranteed money by signing with a different company? Lonzo is an adult and can make his own decisions, but with as involved as Lavar has been with all of it I wonder if Lonzo doesn't feel he really has a choice. It's just not a smart business decision. The smarter thing would have been to sign with a shoe company for 2-3 years, take the guaranteed money, build some NBA credibility, and then go out on your own.
I don't buy the "Lavar is just trying to show people you can stick it to the man" argument. He's charging $500 for basketball shoes. He's not doing it for the little guy, he's doing it for Lavar.