The Charlotte Hornets (44-38) have come out victorious in their first play-in game this year, but the hard work has only just begun. In fact, despite the victory, star guard LaMelo Ball hardly had time to celebrate amid growing scrutiny from fans and coaches.
While LaMelo has always been somewhat controversial, even he felt obligated to apologize for his actions tonight, which involved swiping at Bam Adebayo’s legs in a very condemnable play. That’s why, following the narrow one-point victory over Miami (127-126), the young guard made sure to set the record straight on what happened in the moment.
“I apologize on that one,” said Ball. “I got hit in the head, didn’t really know where I was, but I’mma check on him and see if he’s okay and everything. I haven’t even seen it [film], I just got hit in the head and didn’t know where I was. Just playing basketball.”
Lamelo Ball INJURED Bam after taking out his legs underneath him 😳 pic.twitter.com/vAQa8mKymn
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) April 15, 2026
Ball’s words sound sincere, but his actions looked intentional in the video, which has since gone viral online. Swiping at a player’s legs like that is not only reckless but extremely dangerous, as we saw today, when Adebayo went down. Thanks to being surprised by the move, he was unable to break his own fall, leading to an injured back that ruled him out for the night. His absence may have cost the Heat the game, as they were never the same when he left the floor.
The only question is why the refs never called the foul, which they initially struggled to explain.
“The play wasn’t whistled in real time,” said referee Crew Chief Zach Zarba. “Play continued with a fast break. And because the play wasn’t stopped immediately, and there was no whistle on the play, the window to review the play was closed. Play was stopped after a change of possession, and then a timeout. So, by rule, our window to review that play then is closed.”
The refs claim they couldn’t review the play (which almost certainly would have been a technical or flagrant) because they didn’t see it, but that seems hard to believe, given all that happened. Bam Adebayo was irate in the moment, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra could hardly contain his frustration in the post-game media chat. In the end, their outrage was justified, even if there’s nothing they can do to change the results.
Bam, limited to 11 minutes, finished with just six points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and zero blocks on 3-3 (100%) shooting from the field. Despite a solid campaign, with averages of 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game on 44.2% shooting and 31.8% shooting from three, his season is over now as the Miami Heat plan a pursuit of their next big superstar.
Meanwhile, LaMelo Ball (24) is in full damage control as he attempts to protect his reputation. Plays like that can give you a bad reputation for life, and now people will be watching him closely for any further lapses in judgment. Tonight, Ball was able to make up for the shenanigans with an elite performance, dropping 30 points, five rebounds, 10 assists, one steal, and one block on 38.7% shooting from the field and 12.5% shooting from three. But to become the leader the Hornets need, he needs to make better decisions and put himself in a situation where he can get thrown out of the game or suspended from future action.
