From ball + -er. The sense referring to extravagance comes from NBA b-ballers being wealthy.
Meanings
(qualifier:African-American Vernacular, slang) Very cool, especially due to extravagance.
(Being an OG is not as baller as you'd think.) 2014, Kele Moon, The Viper, →ISBN:
Had dinner with the Arkins at Giuliana's restaurant, RPM, which is like a nightclub. They put a security guard in front of our booth, which felt very baller. 2016, Andy Cohen, Superficial: More Adventures from the Andy Cohen Diaries, →ISBN:
All you baller playa's got some insecurities too / That you could cover up, bling it up, cash in and cha-ching it up 2004, “Black Stacey”, in Saul Williams, performed by Saul Williams:
The most baller Los Angeles investor, Paige Craig, doesn’t have a Wikipedia page, but you can find out everything about him on his Everipedia page. Are you going to be pitching him? 2015 December 11, Viputheshwar Sitaraman, “Q&A: Mahbod Moghadam — Cofounder, Everipedia”, in HuffPost:
From ball + -er. The sense referring to extravagance comes from NBA b-ballers being wealthy.
Meanings
A kitchenware utensil for cutting ball-shaped pieces of foods.
fruit baller
A person employed to divide molten metal into separate balls before it is hammered out.
(slang) One who plays basketball (US) or association football (UK).
I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller. 1995, Skee-Lo, “I Wish”:
I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers. 2009 July 17, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Obama Tells Fellow Blacks: ‘No Excuses’ for Any Failure”, in New York Times:
(qualifier:African-American Vernacular, slang) One who has swag and lives an extravagant lifestyle.
Now… what y'all wanna do? / Wanna be ballers? Shot-callers? Brawlers? 1997, “It's All About the Benjamins”, in No Way Out, performed by Puff Daddy ft. Lil' Kim, the Lox, and The Notorious B.I.G.:
Did you see that car? He’s such a baller.
But you really wouldn't mind a millionaire / All them big ballers / Don't do nothing for ya / But you'd love a rich man six-foot-two or taller 2004, Amy Winehouse, Salaam Remi, “Fuck Me Pumps”, in Frank, performed by Amy Winehouse:
(vulgar) A person having sex.
(Philippines, abbreviation, alt-of, colloquial, ellipsis) Ellipsis of baller band, a silicone rubber wristband, originating as a basketball sports wristband.