LaMelo Ball's tattoo artist says 'Hot Chee-toes' was a troll

According to the tattoo artist, the strange tattoo choice was LaMelo Ball trolling everyone.

Mar 20, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) talks with head coach Charles Lee during a free throw during the second half against the New York Knicks at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

LaMelo Ball is known to have a mercurial personality. One of the reasons why he has developed a rabid fan base, especially from young NBA fans, is his ability to go against the grain.

At the end of the 2024-25 season, Ball had the 12th-highest jersey sales in the NBA. He was far and away the most popular Hornets player on that list, and even sold more jerseys than Kevin Durant.

Most recently, Ball allegedly decided to get his toes tattooed to look like Flamin' Hot Cheetos. His tattoo artist took to Instagram recently to tell everyone that it was actually a troll job by Ball.

"We tattooed LaMelo Ball. But those hot chee toes, those are not on Melo. We were just trolling. The original artist is actually out of California also, but nah, we didn't do that on Melo. We did a leg sleeve on Melo. We'll be posting that soon, so keep an eye out for that. But yeah, we were just trolling, man. The internet is crazy."

His teammates would have clowned him for the rest of his career in Charlotte had he actually gotten that ridiculously insane tattoo.

Ball has struggled to stay on the court in his career, playing just 47 games last season due to ankle and wrist ailments that required surgery in March.

This past season, Ball averaged 25.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. He shot 40.5 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

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