The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA over the past month, winning just one contest since the second week of December. One of their issues had been the absence of their leading scorer, as LaMelo Ball has been out since Thanksgiving while nursing a sprained ankle. But the star guard made his return on Friday, and the tattoo that made headlines earlier in the year was fully visible in Ball’s first game back.

NBA No Longer Fining LaMelo Ball For His Tattoo

ESPN Sources: As LaMelo Ball returns from a six-week absence tonight, the NBA won’t fine him for failing to cover up a tattoo below his left ear that the league had previously deemed a violation of rules against visible commercial logos. https://t.co/VYXQEo0Ggz

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 13, 2024

Back on November 17th, it was reported that the NBA had issued a warning to LaMelo Ball about the tattoo that appeared just below and behind his left ear. The league cited a policy that prohibits players from displaying commercial logos on their bodies during games, and ordered Ball to cover up the marking or face hefty fines.

Ball has the initials “LF” tattooed behind the ear, which the league believes is the logo for his personal clothing brand LaFrance. While that may be the case, Ball and his camp have argued that the letters signify the player’s middle name, which shares the name with the company.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, it appears as though Ball may have won the argument. The NBA insider tweeted just before Ball made his return on Friday night, stating that the league would no longer be fining him for not putting a cover on the artwork after previously stating that it was a violation.

Ball had no cover during his return on Friday, and the tattoo was fully visible.

Hornets Get Embarrassed By Lowly Spurs

LaMelo Ball is back.

pic.twitter.com/dz7Hj4BQPH

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 13, 2024

LaMelo Ball certainly made an impact in his return to the court, though it was more in the way of individual statistics. The Hornets were taking on another NBA bottom feeder in the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, and they were hoping that they’d be able to pick up a road win despite being 2.5 point underdogs.

But it was all Spurs all night long, as a 66-45 halftime lead by San Antonio increased to 103-77 at the end of the third quarter. At that point, Charlotte’s bench had played 63 total minutes, shot 2 for 17, and scored a total of just 6 points.

Ball finished with 28 points on the night, 15 of them coming on free throws. He had five assists and five steals as well, but committed six turnovers in the contest.

The Hornets will take on the Heat this coming Sunday.