LaVar Ball Blasts Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra After LaMelo Ball Incident
The NBA‘s annual play-in tournament got off to a dramatic start with the Charlotte Hornets defeating the Miami Heat in overtime on Tuesday evening, in a game where LaMelo Ball faced backlash for seemingly swiping Bam Adebayo’s leg and causing him to fall on his back.
That brought an end to Adebayo’s night, as he headed back to the locker room, and NBA on Prime later reported that he’d suffered a lower-back injury. While Miami gave a valiant effort without him in Charlotte, the Hornets managed to send the game to overtime, and Ball’s late layup was the one-point difference.
However, postgame remarks from various individuals, including Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and FS1 personality Nick Wright, drew major criticism of Ball for his actions during the game. Spoelstra indicated that he felt referees should’ve tossed Ball, and they missed a “dangerous play” that didn’t belong in the game.
Wright also blasted Ball, referring to him as a longtime “clown” for his antics on the basketball court. That prompted a heated response from Ball’s father, LaVar Ball.
Read more:LaMelo Ball Goes Viral for Punching Hornets Mascot in Wild Postgame Moment
LaVar came to his son’s defense, uploading a video in which he called out both Wright and Spoelstra. He suggested Wright needed to “look at himself in a mirror” and if someone looked up “clown” in a dictionary, they’d see him there.
“He’s been a clown ever since I knew him, and I know his tag team buddy too,” he said, seemingly referring to Jason Whitlock.
“Yes, I’m calling them all out. They all clowns!” LaVar said while seated in a “Big Baller Podcast” studio.
“Don’t ever curl your lips and say a Ball boy’s a clown,” he said.
He then said he couldn’t figure out how somebody could lie on their back and use their left hand to “flip over a man [who is] 260 pounds,” referring to the incident involving his son and Adebayo in the game.
“And Spoelstra, don’t be making all these excuses, talking about you don’t wanna make an excuse. Then why you making one? Win the game and call it in, but if somebody’s falling on top of me, you best believe I’m gonna put my hands up and do all kinds of stuff,” LaVar said, adding, “That’s just how the Ball’s are taught. We do some dangerous stuff, get out the way, because we ain’t getting stepped on.”
“Gridlock and Nick ‘Wrong’ y’all stay together, because you a good team of nuts,” he said about the FS1 personalities.
LaVar Ball gained the spotlight years ago as a proud father when his son, Lonzo Ball, became the family’s first major draft pick, going No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017. While LaMelo Ball went a spot lower than that in the 2020 NBA Draft, he’s clearly been the better of the two players in the league.
On Wednesday evening, the NBA issued two fines to LaMelo: $35,000 for the tripping incident and $25,000 for cursing postgame. While some believed he deserved a suspension, that wasn’t part of the punishment.
With that, he’ll return to the court on Friday with the Hornets when they battle the Orlando Magic for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference side of the playoff bracket.
Read more:Heat's Erik Spoelstra Blasts ‘Dangerous' Hornets Play on Bam Adebayo
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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 8:31 PM.