LaMelo Ball learns punishment from NBA after tripping Bam Adebayo
New York Post • • sports
Key Points:
- Hornets star LaMelo Ball was fined $35,000 for a Flagrant 2 foul on Heat's Bam Adebayo during the NBA play-in tournament, which caused Adebayo to leave the game with a lower back injury.
- The foul occurred in the second quarter when Ball swiped at Adebayo's leg, causing him to fall hard; the league reviewed and deemed the contact unnecessary and reckless, creating significant injury risk.
- Ball also received a $25,000 fine for using profane language during a live post-game interview.
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra criticized the play as dangerous and expressed frustration over losing their best player, though he acknowledged the Hornets' strong performance.
- Despite the incident, Ball scored 30 points and made the game-winning layup in overtime, leading the Hornets to a 127-126 victory.
