NBA playoffs 2026: LaMelo Ball avoids suspension, fined $35K for trip of Bam Adebayo and $25K for profane interview

Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball will not be suspended for Friday’s play-in game, the league announced Wednesday.

He was instead fined $35,000 for the play and assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for a play the league described as “unnecessary and reckless contact” that “created a significant injury risk.” Had he received such a foul during the game, he would have been ejected.

He was also fined another $25,00 for using profane language in a television interview.

The NBA had reportedly started an investigation to determine whether Ball’s trip of Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, which took place in the second quarter of the Hornets’ Play-in win over the Heat, merited an upgrade to a flagrant foul and additional punishment.

After Ball was knocked to the ground, he appeared to grab Adebayo’s leg, leaving Adebayo off balance. Adebayo went down hard and was seen holding his back after the fall. Both teams continued to play after the incident, with the Hornets scoring at the other end before calling a timeout. Adebayo did not return to the game due to the back injury.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was visibly frustrated on the sidelines and said after the game that action should have been taken against Ball.

“Somebody has got to see that,” Spoelstra said in the team’s postgame news conference. “He should have been thrown out of the game for that.”

“There’s no place in the game for those kinds of shenanigans,” Spoelstra said. “It wasn’t needed. (Ball) was frustrated, and I think he felt like he got fouled, so he took the liberty of yanking somebody. That should be penalized.”

Ball addressed the media after the game regarding his actions.

“I apologize on that one,” Ball said about Adebayo. “I got hit in the head and didn’t really know where I was, but I’m going to check on him and see if he’s okay.”

Ball continued to be the main topic of conversation, finishing with 30 points and go-ahead layup despite going 2-for-16 from three-point range. It was an eventful game, and how he’ll be able to keep playing Friday.