LaMelo Ball Sued By Publicist For $10M Over Puma Deal

LaMelo Ball’s former publicist claims that the Charlotte Hornets player owes her $10M for helping him secure the Puma deal.

A publicist is suing LaMelo Ball over some back pay. Amber Johnson claims that the rising NBA superstar owes her millions after signing his very lucrative deal with PUMA, but she never got her cut.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, claims Ball hired her back in 2019 to help snag some business deals but he didn’t keep his side of the deal. In her suit, Johnson alleges as part of their working relationship, Ball agreed to give her a 10% cut of any deal she found. Ball and his camp also agreed to reimburse her for any out-of-pocket expenses that she incurred while working for the hooper. During her time as his publicist, she claims that she secured a contract with streaming service “Caffeine” and an appearance on a video game streaming show.

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Following those deals, Johnson stated that began speaking to Puma about a potential collaboration with Ball. In her suit, Johnson alleges that she helped facilitate the relationship between Ball and Puma, ultimately snagging a $100M contract.

Johnson says that she never got her cut of these deals and was also never reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses. Now she’s demanding a $10M payout.

Melo signed with Puma back in October 2020. The $100M dollar deal also came with access to the sneaker brand’s private jet. As part of the partnership, Puma agreed to collaborate with Ball on creating products that combined sports and culture. His first capsule featured a Puma x LaMelo Ball T-shirt for the 2020 NBA draft.

The Charlotte Hornets point guard has yet to respond to these allegations.

[Via]