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Following the viral success of his new song “Tweaker,” LiAngelo Ball is cashing in with a major payday.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Ball has signed a deal with Def Jam and Universal Music Group worth as much as $13 million with $8 million guaranteed. The deal reportedly gives Ball full ownership of music and his own record label.
Ball, who played basketball at UCLA and spent two years in the NBA G League, has become an overnight success in his new career. “Tweaker” has been a fixture on social media and in sports locker rooms since it premiered earlier this month.
In just nine days, Ball’s track has 7.8 million views on YouTube as of this writing and is the No. 3 trending song on YouTube Music, behind only a pair of songs from three-time Grammy Award winner Bad Bunny’s new album.
The viral success of “Tweaker” earned Ball a spot on the lineup to perform at the Rolling Loud concert festival in Los Angeles in March. The 26-year-old even earned praise from Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard, who has released four rap albums and is widely regarded as the best basketball player to try his hand at music.
“I rock with it, man,” Lillard said in a recent postgame interview. “I’ve been hearing it a lot; it gives me that 2003-2004 vibe. But I rock with it; like I said, it’s a slapper. As an artist, you gotta respect other people’s artistry, and when something is going, it’s going. So, like I said, I rock with it, I respect it, and I’m always happy for other people’s success. That’s when you have your success, when you’re happy with people. So I’m happy for him. It’s a big record. You’re hearing it everywhere. Much love to him.”
Ball, who was often overshadowed following the success of his brothers Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls and LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets, has finally found his path in his transition away from basketball and appears poised to make his mark in music.
