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Among the NBA players who sport several tattoos is Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball. He has ink on both arms, one covering his chest and a logo of his clothing brand behind his ear which the NBA has asked him to cover because it violates a league policy.
Despite already having several, he just revealed a new tattoo covering his back. Melo's latest tattoo design is quite detailed, but its main highlight is an alien.
Several fans saw his latest tattoo design and tried to decipher its meaning, even getting Victor Wembanyama, who is sometimes referred to as an alien due to his unconventional style of play, involved.
"Alien?? Is he teaming up with Wemby?" @SoloPHL asked.
"This dude wants to be Wemby so bad," @kyriemavs wrote.
"Damn, big Wemby fan I see," @xDcentric tweeted.
Not all the reactions to Melo's tattoo were about Wemby. Some took it as an opportunity to joke about a few things, especially his availability on the court.
"More tattoos than playoff games," @47kasz pointed out.
"Bro has more tats than games played it’s ridiculous," @ryandurkk wrote.
"The Ball brothers are made out of paper!" @WildBillNC1978 joked.
LaMelo Ball's availability could be a concern for the Charlotte Hornets
All jokes aside, the amount of games that LaMelo Ball has missed is not something to take lightly.
In the 2023-24 season, he played only 22 games due to an ankle injury. Last year was much the same as he suited up for only 36 contests. His lack of availability has directly contributed to the Hornets' lack of success, with the Charlotte going 21-61 this season and 27-55 last season.
The team drafted him with the third pick in 2020, and he showed that he could be the future of the franchise by earning the Rookie of the Year award. He followed with a strong sophomore season, earning his first-ever All-Star nod.
When healthy, it's clear he can lead the Hornets, especially if surrounded by a strong supporting cast. However, the fact that he has barely played due to recurring ankle issues has caused problems. At only 22 years old (23 in August), LaMelo Ball has a bright future ahead if he can stay healthy.
Other stars also started their careers dealing with persistent injuries such as Steph Curry and Joel Embiid, but both were able to bounce back to become MVP-caliber talent.
