LiAngelo Ball has revealed why he officially walked away from his hoop dreams to chase a career in rap music.
Speaking candidly on the BagFuel podcast, Ball revealed that his time in the NBA G League convinced him that professional basketball wasn't a viable career path, especially from a financial standpoint.
"I was in the G League, that's 3K a month as a grown man," he stated.
After short stints in the G League and overseas in Mexico, Ball said the writing was on the wall. But the real turning point came when he saw his first music check.
"When I got paid from music, it wasn't a hard decision. I wasn't contemplating like 'Damn I gotta hoop,'" Ball said.
Ball's rap career took off in dramatic fashion. His debut track, "Tweaker," sparked major buzz and eventually landed him a deal with Def Jam and Universal Music Group. NBA insider Shams Charania reported the contract could be worth up to $13 million, with $8 million guaranteed — a massive upgrade from his days grinding in the G League. He even landed a coveted spot on the 2025 XXL Freshman list.
However, not everything turned into gold as Ball's debut album arrived last month and failed to crack the Billboard 200 chart after the viral success of his very first single. There's a song on the album called "Wine N Dine," on which he seems to give a response to the claims made by his ex Nikki Mudarris that he's a "deadbeat daddy."
"They kick me when I'm down, so can you pick me up? / Say I'm a deadbeat daddy who don't give no fucks / Say I'm an ugly soul who just up and run / Talk to me dumb like I don't amount to nothin'," Gelo rapped on the track.
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