10 Signature Sneakers Worse Than Lonzo Ball's

In comparison to some of these other awful signature shoes, Lonzo Ball's Big Baller Brand sneakers don't look so bad.

Big Baller Brand Lonzo Ball ZO2
Image via Big Baller Brand
Big Baller Brand Lonzo Ball ZO2

When Big Baller Brand unleashed the ZO2 on the world it was met with widespread ridicule. What was lost in the criticism of the shoe’s $495 starting price though was the fact that Lonzo Ball’s debut signature sneaker isn’t actually that terrible looking. The fake Boost and liberal Kobe inspiration aren’t exactly praise-worthy, but the point is that things could have been a lot worse when it came to the design. How much worse? Check out these signature misses that most definitely weren’t made for big ballers.

Joakim Noah's Le Coq Sportif Pro Model Team

Joakim Noah

Year: 2010

Joakim Noah’s father, Yannick Noah, won the French Open in 1983 wearing a pair of Le Coq Sportifs. Taking that fact into account, it wasn’t completely shocking for the younger Noah to sign with a brand best known for its tennis heritage. What was surprising, however, was the fact that his 2010 signature line kinda looked like it was designed during his father’s athletic prime.

Joakim Noah Le Coq Sportif Pro Model Team

Dwyane Wade's Converse Wade 3

Dwyane Wade

Year: 2007

Few players in NBA history have had as many forgettable signature lines from as many different brands as Dwyane Wade. At the very bottom of that long list is his third shoe from his first brand, Converse. The Wade 3 packed as many triangular designs as possible on a single shoe to play off Wade's jersey number, and the result wasn’t pretty.

Dwyane Wade Conversse Wade 3

Monta Ellis' And1 ME8 Empire

Monta Ellis

Year: 2011

In the pre-Steph Curry era, Monta Ellis was once Golden State’s most marketable player. That said, it made sense to capitalize on the team’s passionate fanbase by giving a signature line to the man selling the most tickets. The problem was that by the time the ME8 Empire hit the market, And1 had been irrelevant for years—and this design didn’t do a thing to change that fact.

Monta Ellis AND1 ME8 Empire Mid

Kevin Garnett's Anta KG 2

Kevin Garnett

Year: 2012

Similar to Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett has been around the block a few times when it comes to signature lines with multiple brands. Unlike Wade, however, KG actually had a few classics. The Anta KG 2, unfortunately, isn’t one of them. Its pseudo-Flywire aesthetic looked a lot more like glued-on plastic than a modern performance feature.

Kevin Garnett ANTA KG 2

Stephen Curry's 'Chef' Under Armour Curry 2 Low

Stephen Curry

Year: 2016

Despite the fact that he'd just won his second consecutive MVP award, the 2016 NBA Finals are likely a time in Stephen Curry’s life he’d like to forget. If his sub-par performance and the Warriors blown 3-1 lead weren’t enough, Curry also released the most-ridiculed sneaker of the social media era when his “Chef Curry” edition of the Under Armour Curry 2 Low became an instant meme.

Stephen Curry Under Armour Curry 2 Low Chef

Klay Thompson's ANTA KT 1

Klay Thompson

Year: 2015

During a press trip to China to promote his signing with Anta, Klay Thompson was photographed looking less than enthusiastic about what was presumed to be his first signature model with the brand. While that turned out not to be the case, the internet was quick to ridicule both Thompson and the sneaker. Little did we know, the actual KT 1 would be even worse.

Klay Thompson ANTA KT 1

John Wall's Reebok Zig Slash

John Wall

Year: 2011

It’s ironic that now that John Wall is without a sneaker deal, he’s playing the best basketball of his career. Then again, who would want to draw any attention to themselves in some of the former Wildcat’s past signature models? The lowest point of all comes courtesy of Wall’s debut model: the Zig Slash, Reebok’s attempt to port over its running-based Zigtech technology which worked neither aesthetically or functionally for basketball (or anywhere else).

John Wall Reebok Zig Slash

 

Bryant Reeves' Warner Bros.

Bryant Reeves

Year: 1995

Name any aspect of Bryant Reeves’ signature sneaker and you’ll find something to laugh at, beginning with the fact that he had a signature sneaker deal in the first place. Being made by Warner Bros.—yes, the cartoon company—assured “Big Country” a spot in the signature sneaker hall of shame.

Bryant Reeves Warner Bros. Sneakers

Stephen Jackson's Protege StackJack

Stephen Jackson

Year: 2009

Steven Jackson’s Protégé sneaker was so bad that when he later became the world’s preeminent Spizike designer, we actually applauded the move—not something we can typically say when it comes to copping Spizikes.

Stephen Jackson Protege StackJack

Jimmer Fredette's Spalding Slash

Jimmer Fredette

Year: 2012

Spalding is a name with legit basketball credibility, serving as the official ball supplier of the NBA since 1983. Shoe credibility? Not so much, save for Hakeem Olajuwon's noble attempt at selling affordable sneakers. Despite that fact, it briefly got into the performance sneaker game behind BYU standout Jimmer Fredette, whose NBA career lasted only slightly longer than his college days.

Jimmer Fredette Spalding Slash