LaMelo Ball spotted covering his “LF” neck tattoo, sparks rumors of pressure from Adam Silver and NBA

During the offseason, Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball got his neck inked with the logo of his clothing brand, LaFrance. The logo features the letters "LF" in a diploma font. While Ball's tattoo may be permanent, it appears that he still isn't safe from the NBA's rules against brand and product advertising outside of their official partners and sponsors.

In their most recent games against the Miami Heat, LaMelo Ball was spotted having covered his LaFrance neck tattoo. The founder of the All Hornets Podcast Network, James Plowright, speculated that Commissioner Adam Silver may have told the Hornets star to hide his ink.

Plowright also pointed out that the league had previously asked other players, including J.R. Smith, to cover up his tattoos during league competition.

LaMelo Ball's "LaFrance" logo

Charlotte Hornets superstar LaMelo Ball visited the Pachuco Tattoo shop in Orange, California, earlier this summer to get a new tattoo. The renowned tattoo artist Herchell L. Carrasco, also known as “RockRollG,” inked Ball's neck with the logo of his LaFrance clothing line in preparation for the 2023-24 NBA season.

In celebration of his birthday last August, Ball opted for three new tattoos. The first, an “LF” symbol representing LaFrance, was positioned on the left side of his neck near his ear. LaFrance is Ball's clothing line, which he established back in 2020 before being drafted as the third overall pick by the Hornets. Notably, LaFrance is also Ball’s middle name.

In a collaboration last September, Melo joined forces with PUMA to create a collection centered around his lifestyle brand. This collaboration led to the creation of two footwear models and accompanying apparel items. The PUMA x LaFrance Collection was officially released on Oct. 6.

Unfortunately for LaMelo Ball, LaFrance isn't an official partner or sponsor of the NBA. This means that he isn't allowed to advertise his brand in any form of NBA media. The closest thing he can get to representing his brand is by sporting the collaboration collection with PUMA.