NBA investigating Ball’s trip on Adebayo during Heat vs. Hornets matchup
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NBA is looking into LaMelo Ball’s trip on Bam Adebayo that led to the Miami Heat player’s lower back injury during Tuesday’s play-in matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, sources informed ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charlotte secured a 127-126 victory in overtime, with Ball netting the decisive basket on a layup with 4.7 seconds remaining. Adebayo did not return after sustaining the injury, having played only 11 minutes.
The league has reached out to both the Hornets and the Heat and plans to interview Ball, according to sources cited by Charania.
The Hornets are set to face the loser of Wednesday night’s Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic play-in game on Friday. There is a possibility that the incident involving Ball could be classified as a flagrant foul 1 or a flagrant foul 2, though sources indicated that a suspension is unlikely.
The incident took place early in the second quarter.
After Ball had his shot blocked, Adebayo secured the rebound and attempted to remain inbounds. Ball fell near the Heat center and reached for his foot, causing Adebayo to fall hard to the floor without a whistle being blown. The game continued while Adebayo remained down. Following a layup by Miami’s Pelle Larsson and a dunk by Ball, the Heat called a timeout with 10:58 left in the quarter.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra remarked after the defeat that Ball should have been ejected, asserting that officials overlooked the incident.
“I didn’t see it [when it happened], but I don’t think it’s cute,” Spoelstra stated after the Heat missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season. “I don’t think it’s funny. I think it’s a stupid play. It’s a dangerous play. Obviously, our best player was out. I’m not making an excuse. The Hornets played great and they made those plays down the stretch. We had our opportunities to win. That’s a shame. You should be penalized for that. I don’t think that belongs in the game. Tripping guys, shenanigans.”
Ball expressed regret twice following the Hornets’ victory.
“I apologize on that one,” he said regarding the trip. “I got hit in the head [on the play] and didn’t really know where I was. But I’m going to check on him, see if he’s OK and everything.”
Official Zach Zarba indicated that the crew was unable to review the play.
“The play wasn’t whistled in real time,” Zarba explained to 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. Play was stopped, after a change of possession, and then a timeout. So, by rule, our window to review that play then is closed.”
When asked if the incident should have been considered a flagrant foul, Zarba stated that league operations would make that assessment in the upcoming days.
Following Tuesday’s play-in game, footage reemerged of a previous encounter between Ball and Adebayo. In a regular-season victory for the Heat on January 14, 2024, Ball was on the ground and seemingly reached for Adebayo’s leg as the Heat center began to sprint up the court.
