LiAngelo Ball, Michael Porter Jr. Slammed Online After Revealing Absurd Stance On Tipping Culture

LiAngelo Ball experienced a career resurgence like no other in 2025 when his hit single, "Tweaker," went viral. Today, though, LiAngelo, the younger brother of NBA star Lonzo Ball, is taking over the internet for a totally different reason. During a conversation on the "Ball In The Family" podcast, LiAngelo opened up to his brother and to fellow NBA player Michael Porter about tipping culture in the United States, sharing his belief that it's gotten out of control over the last few years. And while some may agree with his statement, the celebrity is facing criticism for the absurd amount he claims to tip on every meal, regardless of the price.

At the end of their latest podcast episode, the fellas spoke about some of today's trending topics, including tipping. According to LiAngelo, who recently signed a $13 million record deal with Universal Music Group, he doesn't care what his meal costs; he's not tipping more than $10 to $20.

"I mean, if I'm at a restaurant, I'll leave a little tip," he said before responding to the group, who asked the rapper to reveal the biggest tip he's ever left.

"I ain't going to Chipotle and leaving tips, or McDonald's — none of that… But I can get, like, a $400 meal, and I'm only giving a $10 or $20 on how you was on that night. That’s how I rock, for real," he said.

LiAngelo later revealed that there's always a slight chance he tips more, but only under certain circumstances.

"Unless I really like you — like, I’m trying to flatter some sh-t — I'll leave a little hundo out there or something," he said. "I ain’t doing 20%, I’m not gonna lie. It’s either a $10 or $20…You was great, n—a, you get a $20. You was cool, I'll shoot you a $10 just for being there."

While surprising, LiAngelo wasn't the only one in the room who felt this way about tipping service workers, as Porter expressed a similar belief.

"I just think the 20% rule is like... if you're spending $3K on a meal, you shouldn’t have to tip $600, 20%, to me," he said before speaking about tipping delivery drivers.

"If the Uber Eats order is $250, why are you still tipping 20% when they’re doing the same amount of work as if you ordered a $20 meal, you know what I mean? They’re still just bringing the meal to you. So I would say that tipping culture is definitely out of control, to me. But I’m a bad tipper. I’m not gonna lie," he added.

Lonzo, a Cleveland Cavaliers player, finally chimed in on the conversation and acknowledged that every patron has the right to tip what they want. However, he admitted that he moves differently from the other guys around him.

"Usually for, like, dinner and sh-t, like if I take [my girlfriend] out, it's probably like $600, maybe," he said. "Maybe $800? Twenty percent of that is cool, for a good night… I feel like the waiter makes the night better sometimes. If you got a bad waiter, not that there are a lot of them out there, they can make the night not as good."

Online, social media users slammed LiAngelo and Porter for their statements, questioning their morals and highlighting their financial status.

"These are multimillionaires complaining about tipping servers who they are completely aware depend on tips to make their living," a user commented. "Lonzo the only decent person there."

"This is from guys who are averaging $7M a year," a second user wrote, and a third added, "Money can't buy you class."

Users on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, echoed similar sentiments.

"NBA needs to ban active players on podcasts. Shutting the f-ck up is a lost art," someone posted.

"You can make the argument that restaurants should be paying their employees better wages. But this anti-tip conversation is not one millionaires should be having," another shared. "You don't wanna tip 20% when you got a $150M+ contract?"

Will the backlash force these tycoons to change their ways? Perhaps they'll reflect on their statements during the next episode.