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LiAngelo Ball may be the only one of the Ball brothers to not feature in the NBA anymore, but he's found a way to the All-Star Weekend and NBA 2k25, without having to rely on his basketball talent.
After releasing his song "Tweaker" earlier this year, Gelo's "I might swerve bend the corner" lyric has been the latest earworm across America, even entering the top 10 on the US Spotify Charts with over a million streams.
With both his brothers in the NBA and his family being sporting celebrities first, a link-up with major basketball and sporting groups followed, with the latest announcement being that his hit track will be featured on NBA 2k25.
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The announcement by NBA 2k25 of the song being added to the game's soundtrack has led to a mixed response from fans, and LiAngelo Ball having to move away from basketball to gain basketball culture immortality has been repeatedly trolled by fans in reaction to the announcement.
Some of the instant fan reactions are captured here:
"Bro sold his soul just to become relevant again" commented a fan, about LiAngelo practically leaving his basketball aspirations for a career in music.
"Bro got in 2k one way or the other" observed a fan, with LiAngelo Ball not being rostered by any team in NBA 2k25.
"He made it" commented another fan, about Gelo's inclusion in NBA 2k25.
Others expressed their disagreement with NBA 2k25's decision to add "Tweaker" to its soundtrack, with it being "buns" and "only listenable for the first couple of times" according to fans on Instagram.
Having gotten the likes of Lil Wayne to feature on versions of the track after its massive success, LiAngelo Ball is likely to ignore the critics on Instagram as he takes his career in a different direction from basketball. A contract with Def Jam Records that could earn him more than what the Chicago Bulls shall pay Lonzo Ball in 2025-26 should be incentive enough to focus on the rap game for Gelo.
LiAngelo Ball signed a deal with Def Jam Records worth $13 million
With a guaranteed $8 million and add-ons that could take his deal to eight figures, LiAngelo is set to earn way more than what he may have with his basketball endeavors, with his last professional team having been based out of Mexico. In fact, with him signing the Def Jam deal and elder brother Lonzo Ball extending his contract in Chicago for a two-year, $20 million deal, as things stand, he could out-earn his brother for the 2025-26 season.
Gelo joins a Def Jam Records line-up of artists that includes Justin Bieber, Pusha T, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, and Rihanna, among others. With "Tweaker" continuing to rack up views, and now bound to get more attention with the NBA 2k25 link-up, Gelo's marketability is possibly at an all-time high and the Ball brothers could be riding a different tide of celebrity status on top of their basketball accomplishments, for a while.
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