LiAngelo Ball is going viral and it's not because he has issues with one of his child's mothers, is dropping a new song, or is thinking of picking up basketball again — it's for his controversial take on tipping culture.
During the latest episode of the Family Podcast with hosts Lonzo Ball, LiAngelo Ball, Darren “D-Mo” Moore, and Anthony “Ant” Salazar with special guest Michael Porter Jr., the former G League hooper got real on how he tips service workers when he goes out to eat.
“I mean, If I'm at a restaurant, I'll leave a little tip,” he said. “I ain't going to Chipotle and leaving tips, or McDonald's — none of that… But I can get, like, a $400 meal, and I'm only giving a $10 or $20 on how you was on that night. That’s how I rock, for real.”
However, under some different circumstances, LiAngelo is willing to budge.
“Unless I really like you — like, I’m trying to flatter some s**t — I’ll leave a little hundo out there or something. I ain’t doing 20%, I’m not gonna lie,” he continued. “It’s either a $10 or $20…You was great, n***a, you get a $20. You was cool, I'll shoot you a $10 just for being there.”
“I can get a $400 meal and I’m only giving a $10 or $20”⁰⁰MPJ and Gelo think tipping culture has gotten out of control… Lonzo remains the voice of reason 😭 pic.twitter.com/FuzFFjWJR9
— Ball In The Family Podcast (@ballinthefampod) November 20, 2025
That's when Porter Jr. chimed in with his own taking on tipping culture adding that there should be a difference when your ordering food at a restaurant versus when you are using third party food delivery apps like Doordash or Uber Eats. He
“I just think the 20% rule is like… if you're spending $3K on a meal, you shouldn’t have to tip $600, 20%, to me,” Porter Jr. explained. “And then Uber Eats is another thing. If the Uber Eats order is $250, why are you still tipping 20% when they’re doing the same amount of work as if you ordered a $20 meal, you know what I mean? They’re still just bringing the meal to you.”
Porter Jr. admitted that he is not the best tipper and that tipping culture has gotten worse.
“So I would say that tipping culture is definitely out of control, to me,” the Brooklyn Nets forward said. “But I’m a bad tipper. I’m not gonna lie.”
Unlike Porter Jr. and Gelo, Lonzo shared that the waiter holds a lot of weight on the overall experience and that he tips pretty far.
“Usually for, like, dinner and s**t, like if I take Ally [Rossel], out, it's probably like $600, maybe,” the Cleveland Cavaliers point guard said. “Maybe $800? Twenty percent of that is cool, for a good night… I feel like the waiter makes the night better sometimes. If you got a bad waiter, not that there are a lot of them out there, they can make the night not as good.”
Fans began roasting the rapper and NBA players in the comments as many were in disbelief with their answers, given their high-earning jobs.
“Lonzo once again shows he's the only Ball brother that has a functioning brain,” one fan reacted, praising the point guard.
Another fan, however, agreed with Gelo and Porter Jr.
“If i buy a $150 steak and a $250 bottle of champagne, paying 20% or higher is wild,” one fan explained. “A group of people can order appetizers and drinks at come up to 150-200. You did more work bring their stuff than you did mine, but I should tip more? Nah.”
One fan took the conversation as a way to call out the waiter's employers.
“Unpopular opinion: your jobs (the restaurants) should pay you the majority of your wages … not the customers. No reason tips should be how you survive, the fact we just let the corporations/ restaurants finesse is beyond me,” one fan wrote.
