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Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is being forced to cover one of his tattoos, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Ball, the No. 3 pick from the 2020 NBA Draft, has “LF” tattooed on his body for LaFrance. Not only is that his middle name, it’s the name of his clothing brand.
Apparently, that tattoo violates the NBA’s rules against “exposing commercial logos” on players’ bodies.
“Per the (Collective Bargaining Agreement), players are prohibited from displaying commercial logos or corporate insignia on their body or in their hair during games,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank said. “We try to enforce the rule reasonably, in accordance with its purpose, and taking into account players’ efforts to express themselves in a non-commercial manner. But LaMelo Ball’s neck tattoo is in obvious violation of the rule and, accordingly, he’s required to cover it.”
ESPN story: The NBA is requiring LaMelo Ball to cover a tattoo below his left ear that the league insists violates rules against exposing commercial logos on players’ bodies – a policy that sources close to Ball contend has been infrequently enforced. https://t.co/l8ufVnnlW3
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 17, 2023
Ball covered up his “LF” tattoo prior to Tuesday’s game against the Heat. He’s expected to do the same tonight against the Bucks.
Wojnarowski said the NBA is discussing resolutions for this issue.