By ADAM ZAGORIA
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Despite a $3,500 fee to film LaMelo Ball and his SPIRE Institute teammates, several outlets showed up and apparently paid the fee on Saturday in Benton, Ky. One day later, games at the “Big Baller Beatdown” were cancelled due to weather.
Big Baller Brand charges $3500 Bucks for media and then cancels the 2nd game. LaVar announced it before the event did. Classic pic.twitter.com/gowaNLupMX
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) January 20, 2019
On Saturday, several video outlets were pictured on the baseline of the game in which the 6-foot-7 Ball went for 14 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds as Spire crushed Downey Christian in the “Big Baller Beatdown.”
Here’s a look at some of the video guys filming LaMelo Ball after @thegrindsession announced Big Baller Brand was charging a $3,500 fee to film @SpireBasketball this weekend pic.twitter.com/QPCAkWzQXA
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) January 19, 2019
As first reported Thursday by ZAGSBLOG, outlets that applied for video credentials for the event received an email which read, “All games are free to film except for the Spire Institute games. To film either of the 2 Spire Institute games, you will have to present $3,500 at the gate as per rules of the Big Baller Brand media credential.”
Jeff Orloff, the COO of SPIRE, suggested the deal may have been made between the Big Baller Brand and the Grind Session, and said Spire had nothing to do with it.
Orloff told Crain’s he’s “not privy to any deal that the Big Baller Brand did or did not undertake. When we go to tournaments, the common practice is the tournaments own the media rights. So we are not involved.”
Ball and SPIRE were originally contracted to play on Saturday at the Hoophall Classic against Our Saviour New American, and had a signed contract to do so.
The @HoophallClassic schedule is out and your boy LaMelo Ball is playing on Saturday, as we first reported this week. pic.twitter.com/DFq0n6o2Db
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) November 30, 2018
But when Alan Foster of the Big Baller Brand asked Hoophall representative Greg Procino for a $10,000 appearance fee, Procino declined and SPIRE withdrew from the event and agreed to play the Grind Session.
Foster did not respond to numerous interview requests, but did attempt to dispute Procino on Twitter, saying he was “lying” about the offer. Still, SPIRE had a signed contract to play at the Hoophall and then opted to bail after “certain financial requests” were not met, Procino said.
LAMELO FROM HALF COURT ? @MELOD1P @SPIRE_Institute pic.twitter.com/88n1fXSzP2
— Overtime (@overtime) January 16, 2019
Meantime, LaMelo and SPIRE are slated to appear at several future Grind Session events this season. The tour concludes with a “national” championship in Kentucky in March.
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