Why did Liangelo Ball and Nikki Baby break up? Split explored as rapper says he regrets leaving girlfriend for Rashida Nicole

Nikki Mudarris and LiAngelo Ball attend the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre (Source: Getty)
Nikki Mudarris and LiAngelo Ball attend the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre (Source: Getty)

Rapper LiAngelo Ball has publicly expressed regret over leaving his former girlfriend, Nikki Mudarris, aka Nikki Baby, for Rashida Nicole.

During a recent episode of Ball in the Family Podcast, the 27-year-old former basketball player reflected on his “dumb decisions” and emotional turmoil. He said:

“Just not agreeing. Grown up sh*t. Where we were gonna live where these kids gonna go to school, who gonna watch them when we’re going to work and all that…”

He then added:

"If I could re-do it, I would’ve whopped my own a** for real... I would’ve stayed there. I was tweaking. I ain’t got no excuse for that sh*t."

Nikki Baby and LiAngelo Ball’s split was driven by conflicting reasons from both parties. Baby has described it as a devastating betrayal involving infidelity and abandonment during her postpartum period. On the other hand, LiAngelo called it a mistake which was preceded by disagreements as where they would live and where their children would attend school.

Continue to read for more details.


All we know about the split between Nikki Baby and LiAngelo

While talking about her break-up, Nikki Baby revealed on The Jason Lee Show in July that when her newborn was four weeks old, LiAngelo started behaving weird. She told the host:

“He kept going outside to talk on the phone. And that was I should have noticed. This is when “Tweaker” came out.”

The reality TV star said that she thought he was chatting with the labels, unaware of his other romantic connection. She admitted to being “naïve” during the situation as she had to look after her two kids, who diverted her from being attentive at that time.

She then added how they were constantly arguing and that he wasn’t able to take responsibility for his family. Nikki Baby then talked about that before leaving her, LiAngelo ghosted her calls for days and then revealed her through a cold text that he impregnated another woman.

The news came just four weeks after their daughter, LaNiyah, was born. The couple share a son named LaVelo Anthony Ball, born in July 2023. During that time, the former pair told People magazine:

“We're both so excited about becoming parents, we spoke about having a life and kids when we first met, our goals, dreams, life we wanted & then it really happened. We can't wait to meet our baby and begin this new chapter together. It's super exciting for us both being first-time parents and getting to experience everything together.”

The two met on a hike at Runyon Canyon when they were walking their dogs. They exchanged numbers and hit it off. It is not known as when they started dating. The romance ended amid Nikki Baby’s allegations of Ball's infidelity. Just weeks after their split, Ball married Rashida Nicole.

In a recent podcast, Ball explained that his marriage to Nicole was rushed. He added that he was "going through the motions" with Nicole and alleged that she insisted that they marry. He said:

“I felt disconnected type sh*t. I'm telling her like, 'I don't want to get married… 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.”

In her response, Nicole called out Ball for his statement against her and labelled him a “clown”, a “deadbeat” and “full of it.”

In July, Ball filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences, days after Nicole’s pregnancy announcement.

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Edited by Aastha Dass