President Trump tweeted that Lavar Ball is "an ungrateful fool" after he refused to thank him for helping to release his son from prison in China, and initially a lot of people agreed. But now, more and more people are starting to see how clever Lavar is.
First off, Lavar was right. If Trump really did help his son, why does he need to demand gratitude? That kind of help isn't very genuine, and is usually only intended to bring attention to one's self.
But even more, Lavar had a plan when he decided to publicly feud with Trump - a master plan that experts say gave his company more than $13 million in free advertising. Most people didn't even know that Lavar was an entrepreneur. Oh, but he is!
In fact, he has quite a few money-making enterprises:
#1 - Big Baller Brand Apparel: This lifestyle apparel company was founded on Lavar's core family values. It was inspired by his 3 sons, and their mission is to provide clothes and shoes that reflect what every Big Baller in the world expresses through what they wear. The shirts range from $30 to $50, but the shoes range from $220 to $1,200. It's estimated that the company does about $1 million in sales each year.
#2 - Big Baller Brand Emojis: Available on the iTunes App Store, this $1.99 app allows fans of the Ball Family and the Big Baller Brand to express themselves with fun emojis that mock the family's style and sense of humor. It's estimated that more than 250,000 people have downloaded the app.
#3 - A Facebook-Produced Reality Show: Yes, following the footsteps of Amazon and Netflix, Facebook has launched a series of original TV shows. And one of those shows is about Lavar Ball and his family. The show, now in it's second season, is called "Ball in the Family" and each episode averages millions of views. Experts say the family is likely being paid about $2 million per season.
On top of all of that, his son, Lonzo Ball, recently signed a 4-year $30 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers - a deal that resulted from years and years of Lavar's master plan to have all three of his sons playing in the NBA.
Lavar says he is now working on a $1 billion dollar shoe deal for all three of his sons. Some people think that's crazy, especially since his other two sons, LiAngelo, and LaMelo, aren't even playing in the NBA yet. But so far, his plans seem to be working... and quite well at that. So let's see what happens!
Watch the family's reality show below:
Watch the other episodes on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ballinthefamily/