LaMelo Ball Is Reportedly Being Forced To Cover Up His Tattoo By The NBA

The NBA is reportedly forcing Charlotte Hornets player LaMelo Ball to cover up his tattoo.

Ball bears a tattoo below his left ear featuring the initials “LF,” which stands for “LaFrance,” his middle name, his uncle’s name, and his clothing brand. Nevertheless, there is a league regulation prohibiting players from displaying commercial logos on their bodies.

“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 spokesperson 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.”

According to ESPN, Ball has engaged in discussions with the NBA over the past few weeks regarding his tattoo. To prevent potential fines from the league, he initially concealed it during last Tuesday’s game.While no official resolution has been reached as of now, both parties are expected to continue working towards finding both short-term and long-term solutions to the issue.

This isn’t the initial instance where a member of the Ball family has encountered such an issue. In the past, the NBA required Lonzo Ball, Ball’s older brother, to conceal the “Big Baller Brand” logo tattoo he had acquired in 2018 while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

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