LaMelo Ball #1 of the Charlotte Hornets brings the ball down the court during the second half of an NBA game against the New York Knicks at Spectrum Center on November 18, 2023, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
*Charlotte Hornets All-Star guard LaMelo Ball must cover a tattoo below his left ear.
According to NBA rules, tattoos that expose commercial logos are prohibited, ESPN reports. Ball has the initials “LF” for LaFrance, his middle name, and his clothing brand.
In a statement to ESPN, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said: “Per the [collective bargaining agreement], players are prohibited from displaying commercial logos or corporate insignia on their body or in their hair during games. 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.”
In 2018, Ball’s older brother Lonzo was also required to cover a “Big Baller Brand” tattoo.
Despite several past players wearing corporate logos, the league noted they did not have endorsement deals with those companies.
A new era. The game has been changed. Welcome to the family, @ZO2_ x @MELOD1P x @LiAngeloBall! #RocFam pic.twitter.com/aFSBFW7E3E
— Roc Nation Sports (@RocNationSports) June 15, 2020
Three years ago, the Ball brothers, Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo, signed with Roc Nation Sports, JAY-Z’s sports management company.
“This was a family decision,” LaMelo Ball’s manager, Jermaine Jackson, said at the time via TMZ. “This is now an extended family. They put together a beautiful game plan with Jay-Z. The basketball game is about to change. They are going to create something totally new.”
Jackson said they “talked to several agents, but the family had good vibes with Roc Nation.”
“I’ve known Jay-Z since I played for the Knicks, but this is what the kids wanted to do. Jay-Z is a master at what he does. He’s global. It’s power beyond power,” he continued, CBS Sports reported. “This is something that they are building from the ground up together. They are brothers and they love each other and that’s how they roll. It’s all love. They don’t separate from each other.”
READ MORE: LaMelo, Lonzo and LiAngelo Ball Sign With JAY-Z’s Roc Nation Sports
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