Hornets star LaMelo Ball is facing a tough fight ahead over his involvement in an incident with a young fan in Charlotte. After allegedly running over 11-year-old Angell Joseph’s foot, and breaking it in the process. Ball is being taken to court to cover the challenges of his “physical and emotional recovery,” according to Jason Stoogenke of Action 9.
“[Angell] was like, ‘LaMelo, I love you. I love you, sign my … give me your autograph. Can you sign it for me?’” said Tamaria McRae to Action 9′s Stoogenke. “I just seen my son kind of go down and I thought maybe he had dropped something.”
McRae admits the recovery took “months” and that the pain went beyond just the physical. The whole ordeal also sent her son into a deep depression, which she says became unbearable to witness.
“When you see your children hurt, it hurts you,” she said. “It’s been rough. It’s been real rough. I mean like I’m a strong person. This broke me. This right here, it really did.”
With no insurance information provided on the part of Ball, McRae felt she had no choice but to take it directly to court. She’s also suing the Hornets for not taking the necessary steps to protect their fans.
So far, neither the Hornets nor anyone from LaMelo’s camp has responded to the lawsuit and it’s likely they will not respond at all. Regardless, it’s a bad look for the young Hornets star, and fans have responded to this news exactly like how you would think: with harsh criticism and trolling nonstop.
As the only true star of the Hornets, LaMelo should be a beacon of hope and inspiration for the city of Charlotte and all the young hoopers who reside within. Instead, not only is he barely present on the court, but he’s also disgracing the fans with complete disregard for their safety or existence.
While some have mentioned that the kid shouldn’t have gotten so close to LaMelo, no person in their right mind would try to hurt a child and one has to think that the driver simply didn’t realise that the kid was so close.
Dark Times For The Charlotte Hornets
Besides the rise of Brandon Miller this season, things are not going so great for the Hornets and their situation has only gone from bad to worse over the past few years. Right when it looked like they were gaining momentum, they lost some major traction with the domestic violence case against Miles Bridges.
The heartbreaking details emerged and Bridges was suspended for a time as well as villainized by the NBA community. While he was allowed to return, his reputation never recovered and it still looms over the Hornets like a dark cloud.
Just recently, Michael Jordan sold his stake in the team and it brings to an end, arguably, one of the most interesting aspects of the entire franchise. Whether or not Jordan was a good governor or not, he was a draw for the players and his presence alone helped put the team on the map.
Now, with this Ball news, it’s just the latest ding for a franchise with a long history of errors. If this drive-by story is true or gets dragged out long enough, it could permanently damage Ball’s reputation and it may jeopardize his ability to effectively lead a team as the face of the franchise.
Only time will tell how it all plays out, but it’s the last thing the Hornets need right now as they look to gain some stability for the future.
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