LaMelo clarifies there is no conflict with Bam, expresses relief over his well-being.

ORLANDO — LaMelo Ball expressed his relief that Bam Adebayo did not sustain a more severe injury after the Hornets point guard tripped the Heat center, resulting in Adebayo suffering a lower back injury early in the second quarter during Tuesday’s overtime Play-In victory over Miami.

The NBA reviewed the incident and classified it as a flagrant 2 foul, imposing a $35,000 fine on the Hornets star for the foul, along with an additional $25,000 for using inappropriate language during a postgame on-court interview. Ball was not suspended for the upcoming Play-In game against the Orlando Magic, which will determine the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

“I’m somewhat concerned about today’s game,” Ball stated after the Hornets’ morning shootaround in Orlando. “But as I mentioned, I attempted to apologize and everything. Primarily, I just want to ensure Bam is alright. We never want anyone to be injured in this league. So as long as he is fine, it has eased my mind a bit.”

Ball made contact with Adebayo’s foot as the Heat center was attempting to stay in bounds after a rebound, causing him to fall to the floor and remain down during two subsequent scores. Adebayo left the game with 10:58 remaining in the second quarter and did not return during Miami’s 127-126 overtime defeat.

After the Hornets’ victory, Ball indicated he would reach out to Adebayo to apologize. However, Adebayo mentioned on Thursday that he had not yet spoken with Ball.

“Whenever I encounter him, I will try to speak with him,” Ball said. “After the game, I attempted to talk to him. I was waiting by his locker and conversing with the security guard while waiting for him. But he mentioned he was in the shower, and it’s a challenging game. When you lose, you typically don’t feel like talking to anyone. So I respected his space, and he said he would connect with me later. There was a lot happening.”

Following the tripping incident, footage emerged from a prior Heat-Hornets matchup in January 2024, showing Ball reaching for Adebayo’s leg while he was on the floor and Adebayo was running past him.

Ball stated that he had no malicious intent and emphasized that there is no history of conflict between him and the Heat center.

“It’s just basketball,” Ball remarked. “I believe Bam understands. We have never had any issues, you know what I mean? I have not really had any problems with anyone. I just go out there and play basketball. Even in the previous instance, I was just trying to foul him and things like that.”

After the overtime Play-In game, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra commented that there is no place in the game for such a play, which he deemed dangerous and dirty. However, Spoelstra noted on Thursday that he did not believe Ball warranted any further punishment following the NBA’s decision.

“I don’t consider him a dirty player. I just think that, in that moment, all things can be true,” Spoelstra told reporters in Miami. “It was a dirty play and a dangerous play. It should have been addressed at that moment. But it wasn’t, and then you move on.”

If the flagrant foul from Tuesday’s game had been called in real time as a Category 2, Miami would have been awarded two free throws and possession of the ball, and the flagrant two would have resulted in Ball’s ejection.

Ball was concentrating on the Magic on Friday, aiming to end a nine-year playoff drought, the longest in the NBA, for the Hornets.

“I kept my mind clear,” Ball said when asked how he has moved past the Adebayo tripping incident. “So it’s never an issue.”