The NBA didn’t think well of LaMelo Ball’s new tattoo and made the Charlotte Hornets star cover it up.
The All-Star guard showed off the new tattoo below his left ear early in the 2023 campaign.
His tattoo was the initials LF, which stood for LaFrance, written in red ink. It is both the name of the young celebrity’s clothing line and his middle name.
The latter is what compelled the NBA to take action.
The NBA said in a statement on Saturday that the tattoo had to be hidden because it is against league policy for players to have visible commercial trademarks on their body.
The NBA sent a statement to ESPN stating, “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 make an effort to apply the regulation fairly, keeping in mind its intended goals and the players’ attempts to express themselves in a non-commercial way. However, LaMelo Ball must cover up his neck tattoo because it clearly violates the law.
The Ball family member has already faced criticism from the league due to a tattoo.
In 2018, Lonzo, LaMelo’s older brother, was made to cover up a tattoo that read “Big Baller Brand.”