Wait, did LaMelo Ball get a... ‘Hot Chee-toes’ tattoo? We fact-check.
LaMelo Ball’s name went viral over the weekend.
The internet buzzed with rumors that the Charlotte Hornets star got a foot tattoo called “Hot Chee-toes.” One X post claiming the foot — with flames covering all five red-painted toes — belonged to Ball has more than 15 million views.
But it’s not true.
“Those ‘Hot Chee-toes’ — those were not on Melo,” tattoo artist Elvis Ramos, based in Orange, California, said in an Instagram video Sunday. “We were just trolling. The original artist is actually out in California as well, but no, we didn’t do that on Melo.
“We did do a leg sleeve on Melo, and we’ll be posting that soon. But yeah, we were just trolling, man. The internet is crazy, bro.”
The tattoo was designed by Jordan Hart, an artist in Venice, California, who first shared the image on July 2. Ramos said he gave a similar “blue Taki toes” tattoo to a different customer.
Ramos and several artists posted a video Monday of their real collaboration with Ball: a new leg sleeve.
This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 2:45 PM.
