NBA Defends Call on LaMelo Ball’s Controversial Play in Hornets-76ers

LaMelo Ball didn't foul Jared McCain on Sunday, according to the NBA's L2M report.

Nov 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) and Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) battle for a loose ball before going out of bounds during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Sunday night’s overtime thriller between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Charlotte Hornets involved a sequence that was the talk of the NBA for a bit—mostly in defense of the Sixers.

Hornets star LaMelo Ball was whistled for a foul when he attempted to steal the ball away from Sixers rookie Jared McCain in overtime. For a moment, McCain was headed to the line, but the Hornets decided to challenge the play in hopes of taking away the opportunity for McCain to get some free throws off.

After a lengthy review process, the officials overturned the original call. As expected, the Sixers and the home crowd at the Wells Fargo Center were not pleased.

After the game, the Crew Chief explained the decision to reverse the call.

“After looking at the replay review, it was clear and conclusive that LaMelo Ball deflected the ball with his left hand prior to there being any contact,” said Sunday’s Crew Chief, Courtney Kirkland. “Because it was clear and conclusive, we were able to overturn the call. … It wasn’t a foul because [LaMelo Ball] legally deflected the ball from the offensive player.”

On Monday, the NBA released the L2M report on the game, which featured a paragraph-long explanation onfwhy Ball’s steal on McCain was, in fact, legal.

“Ball is in a legal defensive position in McCain's path as McCain attempts a basketball move to get around him, creating body contact. Ball simultaneously reaches forward and dislodges the ball from McCain's control. The body contact on the play, which looks like a foul, is largely created by McCain as he runs into Ball. And while Ball does reach across McCain's path, since he gets to the ball and dislodges it, he is not illegally impeding McCain's progress.”

LaMelo Ball's overturned foul against Jared McCain was confirmed to be a correct non-call ("Stoppage: Inadvertent Whistle").

"Ball is in a legal defensive position in McCain's path as McCain attempts a basketball move to get around him, creating body contact. Ball simultaneously… https://t.co/VxRubHpHv7 pic.twitter.com/0Ayohbhubi

— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) November 11, 2024

The NBA doesn’t always defend its officials’ decisions on the reports, but the league stands by the overturn of the original call.

Fortunately for the Sixers, it doesn’t matter much in the end. They ended up collecting the tight win in overtime anyway.

16th overall pick Jared McCain scores a career-high 27 PTS to help the @sixers win in OT!

Guerschon Yabusele: 20 PTS, 8 REB
Paul George: 15 PTS, 9 AST
LaMelo Ball: 38 PTS, 8 AST, 6 3PM pic.twitter.com/SNLGcuPb32

— NBA (@NBA) November 11, 2024

The Sixers defeated the Hornets 107-105. McCain finished the matchup with 27 points in 31 minutes of action. As for Ball, he produced 38 points in 40 minutes. The Hornets moved to 4-6 on the year, while the Sixers collected win No. 2 and won at home for the first time this year.

The 76ers will be on the floor once again on Tuesday to host the New York Knicks for the first NBA Cup action of the 2024-2025 NBA season.