"Dead as ugly’: Twitch streamer Ray takes brutal swipe at LaMelo Ball’s new look

Charlotte Hornets star point guard LaMelo Ball has quite the collection of tattoos already, and it appears he's added more. Ball seems to have gotten his neck adorned with some brand new ink. While the Hornets' point guard hasn't officially posted about his tattoo on his Instagram account, some fans have already caught a glimpse of it.

Popular Twitch streamer Ray, known by his handle "rayasianboy," posted an Instagram story with Ball. It seems to be a screenshot of the two in a video call where Ball's new tattoos are visible.

In the post, the Twitch streamer took a shot at the NBA guard regarding his looks.

"@melo u dead as ugly," Ray said.

Ray's IG story featuring LaMelo Ball (Photo credits: @rayasianboy_/Instagram)

Ray taking a shot at Ball appears to be part of the teasing and roasting that's typical among friends. After all, the post appears to have been taken while the two were on a video call together.

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LaMelo Ball's brother predicts his and draft prospect Dylan Harper's future

The 2024-25 regular season's conclusion marked the ninth straight season that the Charlotte Hornets missed the playoffs. Following another disappointing campaign, it would seem that Charlotte's front office is ready to take things in a different direction.

That includes trading Ball away, according to NBA writer Sam Amico, as posted on NBA Central's X on May 21. Amico wrote that only 22-year-old wing Brandon Miller is considered untouchable, although he thinks neither LaMelo Ball nor Miles Bridges will move this offseason.

Despite this, one player believes he knows what the future holds for LaMelo, and that is his brother, Lonzo Ball. During a May episode of the "What an Experience" podcast hosted by Lonzo, as posted on NBA Central on May 17, he shared his prediction for Ball, which also involves Dylan Harper.

"I lowkey got Dylan Harper going to the Hornets, and I've got Melo going to the (LA Clippers)," Lonzo said.

Harper is projected to go as high as second to the San Antonio Spurs, while the Hornets have the fourth pick. If Harper's projection holds true, the Hornets' front office will need to look for a way to convince the Spurs to trade down.

Meanwhile, Melo will be entering the second year of a five-year contract when the 2025-26 season begins. Any team that wants to add the All-Star point guard will need to give up plenty of assets and clear some cap space. He commands a contract worth over $203 million until the 2028-29 season.