Bam Adebayo sounds off on NBA’s lenient punishment for LaMelo Ball’s ‘hostile act’

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Bam Adebayo has questioned the NBA’s handling of LaMelo Ball’s “hostile act,” calling out both the league’s review process and the impact of the punishment handed down.

The incident has quickly become one of the most debated moments from the Play-In Tournament, not just because of the play itself, but because of how it was handled.

At the center of the reaction is a wider concern about consistency, particularly when it comes to what the league chooses to review in real time.

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Bam Adebayo criticizes the NBA’s handling of the LaMelo Ball incident

Speaking in comments shared during the Miami Heat’s exit interviews, Adebayo made his frustration clear.

“It doesn’t make sense that three or four plays can go by and you can review a three-point shot, but you can’t review a hostile act? I think LaMelo’s going to see it as another game,” Adebayo said.

The Heat star added, “He makes what? $30 million a year? The $60K fine, he’s not even going to see.”

The comments stem from the Play-In game, where Ball tripped Adebayo in the second quarter, a play that was not called live despite resulting in a lower back injury that ended Adebayo’s night.

Because no whistle was blown, the NBA’s replay rules prevented an in-game review, even though the league later upgraded the play to a Flagrant Foul 2 and issued a total $60,000 fine.