The NBA has determined that Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball deserved an ejection during Tuesday night’s playoff elimination game after he grabbed the ankle of Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, leading to a back injury that sidelined the All-Star player for the remainder of the contest.
League officials announced Wednesday that Ball engaged in “unnecessary and reckless contact” during the play-in tournament matchup. The guard received a $60,000 penalty – $35,000 for the incident with Adebayo and an additional $25,000 for using inappropriate language during a televised postgame interview. Despite the fine, Ball will be available for Charlotte’s Friday elimination matchup against Orlando.
According to the NBA’s assessment, the incident warranted a flagrant foul penalty two classification, which would have automatically resulted in Ball’s removal from the game. Had referees caught the violation during live play, Miami would have been granted two free throw attempts plus ball possession. Instead, the Heat fell 127-126 in overtime, bringing their season to a close.
The injury occurred during the early minutes of the second quarter, forcing Miami to play without their top performer for the majority of the game. Ironically, Ball scored the game-winning basket for Charlotte in the extra period.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra expressed frustration with the officiating crew’s failure to detect the incident, while acknowledging Charlotte’s strong performance. The three-man referee team included Zach Zarba, Curtis Blair, and Gediminas Petraitis.
“I don’t think that belongs in the game, tripping guys, shenanigans,” Spoelstra said. “Curtis was there. It’s his responsibility to see that. And if it’s not his responsibility, then Zach’s got to see it. Somebody’s got to see that. He should have been thrown out of the game for that. I don’t know him from anyone. There’s no place in the game for that.”
NBA regulations prevented Miami from requesting a coach’s challenge since no initial foul was whistled on the play. The action continued with a fast break, eliminating any chance for video review.
“The play wasn’t whistled in real time,” Zarba told a pool reporter. “Play continued with a fast break. And because play wasn’t stopped immediately, and there was no whistle on the play, the window to review the play was closed.”
The league chose not to address a separate postgame incident involving Ball striking Charlotte’s team mascot during victory celebrations.
This marks the second time Ball has targeted Adebayo’s legs during gameplay. A similar incident occurred in January 2024 when Ball grabbed at the Heat center’s leg while he was running downcourt, causing Adebayo to stumble without falling.
