Hornets Rookie Respectfully Asked 'Mr. Ref' to Explain Summer League Rules

How polite of Liam McNeeley.

The Hornets drafted UConn's Liam McNeeley with the 29th pick in the 2025 NBA draft. / Screengrab via @NBA on X/Twitter

Charlotte Hornets rookie guard Liam McNeeley had his manners on full display in his first NBA Summer League game in addition to his skills on the court.

In between dropping 22 points in his team's 111-105 win over the Utah Jazz summer squad, he wanted to make sure he understood the differing rules for Summer League play. Since the games are only exhibition matches, players get 10 fouls before fouling out of a game and teams don't go into the penalty until their 10th team foul of the period or second team foul in the final two minutes.

McNeeley went straight to the game officials to confirm the unique rules, addressing them extra politely each time as, "Mr. Ref."

"Hey Mr. Ref, what's bonus?" He asked Friday during a stoppage in play before some follow-up thoughts and questions.

"Hey Mr. Ref, 10 fouls is crazy," he said later on. "Mr. Ref, next one's bonus?"

"Hey Mr. Ref..."

Liam McNeeley's just trying to learn the #NBA2KSummerLeague foul rules 😂 pic.twitter.com/rYNioeUmvY

— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2025

The Hornets selected McNeeley with the No. 29 pick during last month's draft after he spent one season at UConn. In his sole season with the Huskies, he averaged 14.5 points, six rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Charlotte hopes he can develop into a knock-down shooter at the NBA level alongside Duke's Kon Kneuppel, who they selected with the No. 4 pick.

He got off to a strong start in his first Summer League game Friday, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out six assists alongside the 22 points. And he reminded everyone that if you aren't sure, you should always ask.

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