LiAngelo Ball is opening up again about his complicated relationship history, and this time, he’s admitting he wishes he had made very different choices with exes Rashida Nicole, whom he “didn’t like,” and Ms. Nikki Baby, whom he regrets leaving.
During the Dec. 9 episode of the Ball In The Family podcast, the former basketball player–turned–rapper reflected on what ultimately led to his split from TV personality Ms. Nikki Baby (Nikki Mudarris), the mother of his two children. Ball also spoke about his split from Nicole, whom he filed for divorce from in July after just three months of marriage, and didn’t shy away from taking accountability for past mistakes.
Why He Left Nikki Mudarris
LiAngelo explained that his breakup with Nikki stemmed from disagreements about where to live and how to raise their children, LaVelo Anthony Ball, 2, and LaNiyah Nicole Ball, 2 months. She preferred Porter Ranch in Los Angeles, but they couldn’t agree on location, schooling, or childcare.
But looking back, he admits he handled things poorly. He admitted that he left the star and their children and regretted the decision.
LiAngelo told co-hosts Lonzo Ball, DMO, and Ant at the 25:20 mark: “I would have stayed there. I told her that, though. Nikki’s cool with me… I told her straight up like I was tweaking. I ain’t got no excuse for that sh-t or nothing. If I could redo it, I wouldn’t do that s***.”
He doubled down later in the episode, saying: “I would’ve talked it out with Nikki and been at home with them… but now it’s like this.”
LiAngelo Ball’s Short-Lived Marriage To Rashida Nicole
LiAngelo also revealed that his marriage to Rashida Nicole happened during what he describes as an emotionally chaotic period. He claimed the relationship developed in the “span of two weeks” and that he felt rushed and pressured.
According to LiAngelo, Nicole had a disturbingly intense influence on him:
“I did make some dumb a** decisions, but I do feel like I don’t know n— like she was, like, ‘I pray you die every day,’ like she might have been on some ill shit cuz, I couldn’t think for real, and I’m going through the motions with her a**… she like we gon’ get married.”
He went on to say that Nicole “drove” him to the courthouse and pushed for the marriage even as he expressed hesitation:
“I’m out there about to cry in the whip… I felt disconnected type sh-t. Like, I’m like, All right, n—, like, I’m telling her I don’t want to do none of this sh-t. But then I was like, I’m doing it though, and I did not understand.”
A few months later, he hit an emotional breaking point:
“My eyes started leaking. Like, my s*** dripping on the floor. I went upstairs and talked to her a–, ‘Like you got to slide.’ I just took all the L’s on the chin. I had to reset my sh-t though.”
When asked if he ever liked Nicole romantically, he didn’t hesitate:
“To be honest, I didn’t like her ass… the sh-t happened, and I got through it and passed it.”
Rashida Nicole accused LiAngelo Ball of being absent from his newborn daughter’s life.
LiAngelo’s confession comes just days after Rashida Nicole publicly accused him of being absent from their newborn daughter Lilo Legacy’s life. Posting a video of the baby to her Instagram Story on Dec. 8, she wrote, according to a screenshot obtained by Complex:
“Poor baby been on this earth for 6 days still ain’t seen or heard from her dad.”
Nicole also shared a “transparency post” on Dec. 2, stating that she spent the last five months of her pregnancy alone without the help of LiAngelo.
“For the last 5 months, I’ve done everything alone – every appointment, every milestone, every challenge… Moments that should’ve been shared were lost because he chose not to show up.”
Notably, she claimed she barred him from the delivery room when it was time to give birth to their daughter.
“I refuse to allow Ball a 5-minute delivery room photo-op for the internet… I’m not bitter — I’m exhausted.”
Nicole also revealed a moment late in pregnancy when he allegedly pressured her to change their daughter’s name.
“One of the most shocking moments was being told, at 8.5 months pregnant, to change our daughter’s name… because it was ‘too close’ to you & your ‘gf’s’ name.”
Notably, she apologized publicly to Nikki for any “pain” she had caused in the past, thanking her and her family for their support throughout her relationship woes with LiAngelo.
More chaos between LiAngelo, Rashida, and Nikki.
The divorce filing between Ball and Nicole became public in July, just four months after they married. Around the same time, Nikki accused him of cheating and abandoning her and their two children during an exclusive interview with The Shade Room. She claimed that the ex-baller “packed up and moved” after the birth of their daughter in December 2024.
Nikki alleged to the publication that he “decided to walk out on his kids and I and tell me he got someone else pregnant and now is creating a new life with her,” calling the situation “The ultimate betrayal.”
She also previously labeled him a “deadbeat,” a claim LiAngelo has repeatedly denied. It’s unclear where things stand now between the two.
What do you think of this messiness between LiAngelo Ball, Ms. Nikki Baby, and Rashida Nicole? Thoughts?
