LiAngelo Ball has officially become a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist. His viral hit, “Tweaker,” debuts at No. 29 on the chart dated Jan. 18.
The song’s success is driven largely by streaming, with 12.4 million official U.S. streams in the Jan. 3-9 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also sold 2,000 downloads. “Tweaker” simultaneously debuts at No. 7 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 9 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Ball is the middle sibling of the famed Ball brothers, sons of Big Baller Brand co-founder LaVar Ball. Eldest brother Lonzo Ball was the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and is now the starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls. Youngest brother LaMelo Ball, the third pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is the starting point guard for the Charlotte Hornets. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2021 and an All-Star in 2022. LiAngelo, who played basketball in Lithuania and Mexico, has not made the NBA but is now the first of the brothers to land a Billboard chart hit.
Released on Jan. 3 via Born to Ball Music Group, “Tweaker” quickly went viral, soundtracking nearly 30,000 TikTok clips. The track’s success has earned LiAngelo a performance slot at Rolling Loud California in March 2025 and reportedly a deal with Def Jam/Universal Music Group.
LiAngelo joins a short list of basketball stars who have charted on Billboard. Shaquille O’Neal landed five Hot 100 hits in the 1990s, including “What’s Up Doc? (Can We Rock)” with Fu-Schnickens (No. 39, 1993) and “(I Know I Got) Skillz” (No. 35, 1993). O’Neal also charted four albums on the Billboard 200, with Shaq Diesel peaking at No. 25 in 1993.
Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard, who raps as Dame D.O.L.L.A., also reached the Billboard 200 with his 2016 album The Letter O, which peaked at No. 119.
During a Jan. 8 postgame interview with ESPN’s Michael Eaves, Lillard praised “Tweaker.”
“I rock with it, man,” Lillard said. “I’ve been hearing it a lot; it gives me that 2003, 2004 vibe. As an artist, you’ve got to respect other people’s artistry, and when something is going, it’s going. … I’m happy for him; it’s a big record, and you’re hearing it everywhere.”