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Bam Adebayo Is Still Waiting to Hear From LaMelo Ball After Tripping Incident

LaMelo Ball told reporters on Tuesday that he would check on Adebayo after tripping him and causing him to miss the rest of the game.
Madison Williams|
Heat star Bam Adebayo left the play-in game vs. the Hornets early after being tripped by LaMelo Ball.
Heat star Bam Adebayo left the play-in game vs. the Hornets early after being tripped by LaMelo Ball. | Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

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Miami HeatCharlotte Hornets

During Tuesday night’s Hornets win over the Heat in the play-in tournament, LaMelo Ball appeared to hold onto Bam Adebayo’s ankle when falling after a failed rebound. Adebayo landed hard on his tailbone and missed the rest of the game. No foul was called during the play, resulting in wildfire online and amongst the teams.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra argued that Ball should’ve received a flagrant foul and ejection from the play. Upon review from the league after the game, the NBA issued a $35,000 fine and assessed a flagrant 2 on Ball, but did not suspend him for Friday’s play-in game vs. the Magic. Additionally, Ball was fined $25,000 for his use of profane language during his postgame interview after hitting the game-winning shot.

On Thursday, Adebayo spoke with media for the first time since the tripping incident and shared his thoughts on it. Like his coach, Adebayo questioned how the play wasn’t reviewed during the game.

“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?” Adebayo said. “I think LaMelo’s going to see it as another game. He makes, what, $30 [million] a year? The [$60,000 fine] he’s not even going to see. It’s just one of those things everybody’s going to have their opinion on it. Nobody is really going to know the truth but LaMelo if it was dirty or not. Obviously everybody’s going to try and defend him or defend me. So, it’s really him, and we move on at this point.”

The league called Ball’s move “reckless.” As for Adebayo’s questioning of why the play wasn’t reviewed, crew chief Zach Zarba was asked about this no-call after Tuesday’s game, and explained that because there was no immediate whistle, and no stoppage in play with the Heat going on a fast break off of Ball’s shot being blocked, the window to call a foul on Ball closed.

The other tidbit Adebayo was asked about on Thursday was if Ball himself reached out and apologized the injury. In Ball’s post-game press conference, he expressed his intent to go check on Adebayo afterwards.

“I apologize on that one. I got hit in the head, didn't really know where I was, but I'mma check on him and see if he's okay and everything,” Ball said.

However, it sounds like Ball never made his way to Adebayo on Tuesday night.

“It didn’t happen, but at that time, I was in the shower trying to figure out what I was going to do next,” Adebayo said. “Obviously everything happened all at once, I wanted to be out there. At some point I’ll see him again and we’ll have that conversation. We move on.”

Here’s a look at the play in question.

As Adebayo said, the league and players have to move on from this situation. The fact of the matter is that Miami’s season is now over because of the 127–126 overtime loss to Charlotte, and the league has already determined the punishment for Ball. This could be a teaching point for future games if anything.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University.

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