LaMelo Ball Apologizes Again For 'Dirty' Play Before Hornets vs. Magic

The Charlotte Hornets haven't been to the playoffs since the 2015-16 season, but LaMelo Ball has the franchise right on the doorstep of the postseason. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the main story of this year's play-in tournament.

During the second quarter of the Heat-Hornets game on Tuesday night, Ball pulled at Bam Adebayo's left foot as he was going up for a rebound. That incident led to Adebayo missing the rest of the game due to a back injury.

Despite being accused of committing a dirty play, Ball wasn't ejected from Tuesday's game. In fact, he ended up making the game-winning shot in overtime for the Hornets. After scoring 30 points in a must-win game against the Heat, he was asked about his incident with Adebayo.

"I apologize on that one," Ball said during his postgame media availability. "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."

Two days later, Adebayo told reporters that Ball never reached out to him.

"It didn't happen," Adebayo said. "I want it to be out there. At some point I'll see him again and we'll have that conversation."

With another do-or-die game coming up against the Orlando Magic this Friday, Ball made it clear that he's sorry for his actions. He also stated that Adebayo's health has been on his mind the past few days.

"I'm kind of worried about this game today," Ball told reporters. "But like I said, I try to apologize and everything. Just look out for Bam. Mainly just make sure he's OK. We don't want nobody hurt in this league ever. So as long as he's good, it's helped [ease] my mind a little."

Fans believe LaMelo Ball showed his true colors.

There have been plenty of debates about whether or not Ball was out of line for his questionable play against the Heat. His comments on Friday, however, have softened the blow online.

"He's remorseful… that's enough for me. The young man is still learning and didn't mean no harm," one fan commented.

"Don't worry Melo your fans got your back. Just focus on the game," a second fan wrote on X.

"That was a mature response from Melo," another fan said. "Could easily have said ‘next question.' We all do stupid things in the spur of the moment."

Ball has already been fined $35,000 and assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 for his contact with Adebayo. He was also fined $25,000 for using profane language during his postgame interview.

We'll see if Ball silences his critics and leads the Hornets to the final playoff spot in Eastern Conference this Friday night.

Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 2:39 PM.