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LaMelo Ball Hilariously Admits Gelo Has Overtaken His Fame With Hit Single

The middle Ball brother's debut single "Tweaker" hit the Billboard Hot 100 just weeks after its release.

Dan Lyons

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts after a basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Footprint Center.
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts after a basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Footprint Center. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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LaVar Ball's vision for all three of his sons to become stars ultimately came to pass. It just took a mid-20s career pivot from middle son LiAngelo Ball.

Gelo's basketball career took him to Lithuania and Mexico, with stints in his father's short-lived JBA and the G League. He recently shifted focus to his music career, and already has a hit single with "Tweaker," which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 29 last week.

Ball has an $8 million record deal with Def Jam, and he performed the song live during Sunday's Detroit Lions playoff game and has a set secured at a popular music festival coming up in California. As his brothers Lonzo and LaMelo continue their successful NBA careers, LiAngelo may be the most noteworthy Ball brother for the moment. His little brother LaMelo, the former NBA Rookie of the Year and a 2022 All-Star, gleefully admitted as much during a recent interview on NBA Gametime.

Gelo dropped "Tweaker"—his only official release so far—on Jan. 3. It already has nearly 27 million Spotify streams, and as an artist he's up to more than 571,000 monthly listeners on the platform.

LaMelo Ball is averaging a career-high 29.3 points along with 7.6 assists and 5.4 rebounds for the Charlotte Hornets. Lonzo Ball made his return to the court this season after a lengthy injury absence that cost him nearly three years on the court. And now Gelo is one of the hottest new recording artists in the country.

Business is booming for the Ball boys.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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