LiAngelo Ball finally made his way onto the NBA court on Saturday night… although not in the way he perhaps first expected.
The former basketball prodigy-turned-rapper was a special guest in San Francisco, performing his viral hit ‘Tweaker’, which debuted at No 29 in the Billboard Hot 100.
But while the hit has set the internet ablaze in recent weeks, basketball fans were quick to twist the knife, clowning Ball for the career arc that finally saw him return to the court.
‘Gelo finally performing on an NBA court,’ one wrote, while another added: ‘I think he’s shocked he’s there.’
Others, meanwhile, weren’t fans of the song itself, with one noting: ‘This should make y’all realize how trash this song is.’
LiAngelo Ball performed his viral debut single ‘Tweaker’ at NBA’s All-Star Weekend
Ball once dreamed of playing in the NBA but went undrafted after declaring back in 2018
GELO BALL PUTS ON A SHOW IN THE BAY! š pic.twitter.com/iDMH873OF7
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2025
Another joked: ‘I haven’t been able to walk for 5 years. Thanks to LiAngelo Ball I was able to get up and walk to turn the channel to the USA vs Canada game.’
There was, though, some praise for the track, with one Instagram user claiming it was ‘better than the Super Bowl halftime show’.
Ball’s NBA career did not quite take off as he once hoped, after he declared for the 2018 Draft but failed to get picked up by any of the 30 teams.
He eventually signed with the Detroit Pistons on an Exhibit 10 contract but was waived less than two weeks later.
In the Slam Dunk Contest, Mac McClung pulled off an outrageous stunt over a car to win
LiAngelo’s brother LaMelo plays for the Hornets, and previously appeared in the All-Star Game
He later signed twice for the Charlotte Hornets, but never got as far as the NBA, later opting to focus on his music career and signing a $13million deal with Def Jam.
Also known by his stage name G3 GELO, the 26-year-old took the internet by storm last month with his debut single, with his appearance on All-Star Weekend the latest career highlight.
While he once may have dreamed of playing on the court at All-Star Weekend, it’s unlikely to have been quite like this.