LaMelo Ball Debuts New Torso and Arm Tattoos That Took Five Artists to Complete

When it comes to tattoos, LaMelo Ball has a lot of skin in the game. The 23-year-old Charlotte Hornets star debuted new ink earlier this week — a project that took more than one artist to complete his vision.

On Tuesday, images of Melo's massive tattoo across his torso went viral, showing before-and-after moments of the entire process. According to one of the tattoo artists who worked on the NBA star — @iamELVIStattoo on Twitter, who live-streamed the session — the job took place at Pachuco Tattoo shop in Orange County, California.

It took five artists to complete LaMelo's new tattoos

Regarding the process behind the new ink, tattoo artist Herchell Carrasco, also known as @rockrollg on Instagram, shared a post explaining that it took five artists working together to complete LaMelo's new ink.

How long did it take to finish LaMelo's tattoos?

According to details provided by a live stream of the tattoo work from @iamELVIStattoo, the process took a couple of days. "We had the numbing cream on deck because, yeah, it wasn’t a small job," he said. "The plan was to tattoo his chest, finish up his arms, and tattoo his ribs and one of his legs — all in two days.” As seen in photos below, Melo came into the shop with an outline of the number "1" tatted on his chest before the job was finished.

What do LaMelo's tattoos mean?

The tattoos, which cover his chest and arms, apparently each have some sort of meaning behind them. According to Sports Illustrated, one of the tattoos reads "God's Soldier," while another says "Chosen One." There's also a message running down each of his arms that reads: "Be" on the right arm and "You" on the left arm.

What other tattoos does LaMelo have?

LaMelo Ball went viral last year for his massive back tattoo that took six artists and 18 hours to complete. It took three six-hour sessions across three consecutive days. Complex style writer Mike DeStefano caught up with Carrasco — who’s been tattooing Melo for years — to get the full story behind the massive ink. He worked with artists Jorge Garibay, Niz Carillo, Elvis Ramos, Juan Nambo, and Jonas Aguila to get the job done.

How much did LaMelo's back tattoo cost?

While he wouldn’t give the exact cost, Carrasco told Complex that the piece was in the ballpark of $20,000.

What's the next tattoo for LaMelo?

According to the tattoo artist, @iamELVIStattoo, they were supposed to get to Melo’s leg, but due to time constraints, it didn’t happen. However, he added that “that leg piece is gonna happen” eventually.