If you would’ve told me in 2017 LiAngelo Ball would be one of the hottest names in music, the entire world would have looked at you crazy, but here we are. Apparently, even the record labels believe this now and they are putting their money where their mouth is. The middle Ball brother, Gelo, has just signed a huge record deal. If you don’t know, he is the younger brother of Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball and the older brother of Charlotte guard LaMelo Ball.
Today, Jan. 13, Gelo inked a huge contract with Def Jam and Universal Music Group after the huge and viral success of “Tweaker” last week. His label, “Born2Ball Music Group,” is now a sublabel of the other two label giants, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Ball will get $8 million guaranteed and could earn up to $13 million on the deal. The best part of the deal? The former high school basketball and UCLA star will retain “full ownership” of his music plus his record label. This type of deal is unheard of, especially for new acts.
He dropped his new single to kick off the new year, and it exploded. Everybody is yelling “I might swerve, bend the corner, whoah-oh-oh.” The trendy line is damn near entering iconic status as the entire world has caught on to it. The song has been referenced in hundreds of thousands of TikToks, been played in NBA and NFL locker rooms, and has even been quoted by storm reporters warning about the icy weather conditions. Gelo has a hit on his hands and the world is reacting to it more by the day.
Knowing what Gelo went through really is the cherry on top of the cake. Gelo was supposed to be in the NBA with his brothers too. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard had all the tools to make it to the NBA as well, but a few mishaps along the way ended those dreams. In 2017, LiAngelo Ball, then a UCLA freshman, made headlines for shoplifting during a team trip to China. Ball and two teammates were arrested for stealing designer sunglasses and were being held in China without release. After intervention from U.S. officials, including then-President Donald Trump, they were released. The incident led to Ball’s indefinite suspension from the team, prompting his father LaVar Ball to take him out of UCLA and move Gelo and younger brother LaMelo to Lithuania, which only fueled the Ball family’s spotlight. He made it to NBA Summer League and even got a training camp roster deal from the Detroit Pistons, but he never played in an actual NBA game. Nearly a decade later Gelo is receiving his own NBA-level money, and we absolutely love to see it.
