LaVar Ball believes his sons are worth $1 billion in shoe deal

Published Mar. 14, 2017 1:19 p.m. ET

Chris Bahr

The sports marketing world has been put on notice by LaVar Ball. The outspoken father of UCLA freshman star Lonzo Ball and high school hoopsters LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball – both of whom also have committed to UCLA – has a monstrous asking price for the athletic apparel companies hoping to sign his sons to a deal.

“A billion dollars, it has to be there," Ball told USA Today. “That’s our number, a billion, straight out of the gate. And you don’t even have to give it to me all up front. Give us $100 mil over 10 years."

And if you think $1 billion sounds outrageous, LaVar Ball had another eye-opening confession in that USA Today feature. And it involves His Airness:

“Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one. … I would just back (Jordan) in and lift him off the ground and call a foul every time he fouls me when I do a jump hook to the right or the left," said the 6-foot-6, 270-pounds Ball. “He cannot stop me one-on-one. He better make every shot ’cause he can’t go around me. He’s not fast enough. And he can only make so many shots outside before I make every bucket under the rim."