Subscribe
Follow Us
LaMelo Ball might not be at the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, but his brother will be. As one of the hottest rappers of 2025, LiAngelo “Gelo” Ball will perform his hit single “Tweaker” during halftime of the game on Feb. 16.
The performance will be LiAngelo Ball's first televised performance, per ESPN's Shams Charania. It has not been reported if he will perform with anyone or what other songs he may present.
Ball's performance will come one month after Charania reported his $8 million guaranteed record deal with Def Jam Productions. The deal, which is reportedly worth up to $13 million, allows him to work on his own record label.
Since releasing “Tweaker” and realizing mainstream success, Ball has shockingly resurfaced on the sports scene. Shortly after signing his deal, he performed during halftime of the Detroit Lions' Divisional Round playoff home game against the Washington Commanders.
Despite not being in the league, LiAngelo Ball will be the only member of the infamous family featured at the 2025 NBA All-Star weekend. LaMelo led the Eastern Conference backcourt in All-Star fan votes but was left off the final roster, becoming the first player to do so. Lonzo, the oldest brother, remains far from All-Star contention after returning to the court in 2024 for the first time in nearly three years.
LiAngelo Ball's previous basketball career
While he is now a successful rapper, Ball only dove into his current career after a failed shot at joining his brothers in the NBA. A former highly touted high school recruit, Ball spent two seasons with the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G-League. He was also briefly with the Detroit Pistons but failed to make an official NBA debut.
Before breaking through as a rapper, Ball was merely known as the disgraced middle brother of Lonzo and LaMelo Ball. He signed with UCLA one year after Lonzo but never ended up playing a single minute of college basketball. Days before his intended college basketball debut, he was arrested in China for stealing from a Louis Vuitton store.
The arrest led to a team suspension and his subsequent withdrawal from the team. Instead of pursuing a transfer, Ball pursued a professional career overseas. He played in Lithuania with LaMelo, who dropped out of high school to kickstart his career. The questionable career decisions of both brothers were preemptively made by their father, LaVar Ball, whose brash character briefly made him a media personality.
In his last attempt to salvage his athletic career, Ball signed with Astros de Jalisco in Mexico of the CIBACOPA in early 2024. Records indicate he played just two games with the team for a total of 19 minutes. Since then, he returned to the United States to work on “Tweaker,” which he would release in the waning months of the calendar year.
