LaMelo Ball found himself at the center of social media attention during the NBA offseason. Rumors circulated that the Charlotte Hornets star had gotten a bizarre hot cheetos-themed tattoo on his feet. The claim quickly went viral, drawing harsh criticism from fans.
Ball, who is known for his tatted-up appearance, became an easy target for many users who did not bother validating the authenticity of the tattoo. Things started when a popular tattoo artist tweeted the picture of a foot with the hot cheetos tattoo, claiming it was Ball.
A fan quickly shared the photo on X and wrote, “Lamelo ball just got the worst tattoo in HISTORY 🤮”
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Things took off from there.
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Ball quickly responded to the criticism, brushing off the rumors with a post on X.
“yaw comedy fr 💀💀”
The truth behind the viral post was soon revealed.
Elvis Ramos, the tattoo artist who initially shared the image of the supposed hot cheetos tattoo on his Instagram story, confirmed that it was all a joke.
“We did tattoo Melo,” Ramos said. “But those hot cheetos, those are not on Melo. We were just trolling.”
According to Ramos, the tattoo was actually done by artist Jordan Hart from California on someone entirely unrelated to Ball.
LaMelo Ball was asked to cover his neck tattoo in 2023
This is not the first time LaMelo Ball has faced a tattoo debacle. Early in the 2023-2024 NBA season, the Charlotte Hornets star revealed a new tattoo featuring the initials “LF” on his neck, just below his left ear. The initials represented both his middle name and his clothing brand, which led the NBA to claim that it was a violation of the league’s policy.
"Per the [collective bargaining agreement], players are prohibited from displaying commercial logos or corporate insignia on their body or in their hair during games,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank said.
“We try to enforce the rule reasonably, in accordance with its purpose, and taking into account players' efforts to express themselves in a non-commercial manner. But LaMelo Ball's neck tattoo is in obvious violation of the rule and, accordingly, he's required to cover it."
By mid-November, he was forced to cover the tattoo with bandages during games. However, the league later softened its stance. Since early January 2024, Ball has been allowed to play with the tattoo visible and has not been slapped with any fines.
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