LiAngelo Ball’s rap career took a surprise turn Tuesday.

Ball, the younger brother of Chicago Bulls star Lonzo and the older brother of Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo, was announced as one of the performers on the first day of Rolling Loud on March 15, joining rap heavy hitters YG, Sexxy Red, and Ab-Soul, among others, with A$AP Rocky acting as the headliner for the night.

Day two features Playboi Carti as the headliner, with rap stars Quavo, Dom Kennedy, Redveil, and Lefty Gunplay among those set to make appearances throughout the night. Though it remains to be seen just exactly how LiAngelo – also known as Gelo or G3 – will fare, his recent release ‘Tweaker’ has taken the sports world by storm.

The song, which calls to mind rap hits from the early 2000s, took a life of its own, with various NBA teams playing the song at various points. For example, during the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-105 win over the Hornets, Gelo’s song was played over the PA system to celebrate the win.

On the other hand, Lonzo and the Bulls were spotted playing the song after Chicago’s improbable victory over the New York Knicks. Although the Hornets lost, LaMelo also got in on the action, reposting a video taken of the Bulls playing the song claiming his older brother had more hits waiting in the wings.

The track also has extended beyond the basketball realm, with ‘Tweaker’ also being heard as the Detroit Lions celebrated defeating the Minnesota Vikings for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Houston Texans also played the song as they were practicing, showing just how the song has spread in popularity.

LiAngelo Ball #3 of the Greensboro Swarm looks on during the game against the Long Island Nets on December 27, 2022 in Uniondale, NY

LiAngelo Ball attempted to make his name in the NBA, like his brothers Lonzo and LaMelo ( 

Image:

Photo by Luther Schlaifer/NBAE via Getty Images)

And while the track is making its rounds on social media and in the sports world, LiAngelo could have found his calling as a rapper.

Like Lonzo and LaMelo, LiAngelo was a star at Chino Hills High School, winning a state championship and earning an offer from UCLA. After committing to UCLA in 2016, the 26-year-old played in only one game for the Bruins as on November 7, 2017, he and two other teams were arrested for allegedly stealing sunglasses.

He was suspended following the incident and withdrew from UCLA later that year. Since then, LiAngelo has bounced around different leagues, playing in Lithuania in hopes of making it to the NBA, like his brothers.

The middle Ball child also played in the Junior Basketball Association, a league founded by his father LaVar meant as an alternative to college. In 2019, he signed on to play for the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League though he did not see any action due to the cancellation of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, LiAngelo spent time with the Greensboro Swarm, the G League team of the Hornets where LaMelo plays, and has been making his through the basketball landscape. In 2024, the guard signed with Astros de Jalisco of the CIBACOPA in Mexico.

However, he only played two games due to an ankle injury, leaving the team to recover in the United States. With his basketball career floundering, perhaps music is the way to go for LiAngelo, if ‘Tweaker’s’ success is anything to go by this early in the year.