Nick Wright, Colin Cowherd Share Ridiculous LaMelo Ball Takes After Play-In Win

For much of the 2025-26 season, Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has successfully changed the perception of himself. The NBA world no longer universally considers him a losing player or an unserious player.

Well, those takes somehow began popping back up in the wake of Charlotte's Play-In victory (led by winning players, for the record) over the Miami Heat. Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright are leading the charge here.

"Essentially the Hornets offense with LaMelo Ball is a frat party with no chaperone. They are out of control!"@colincowherd reacts to the Hornets WILD play-in win over the Heat pic.twitter.com/ucJgKx0gjJ
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 15, 2026

Cowherd began by calling what many have deemed a game of the year contender a "circus" and a "mess." He later went on to ridicule the Hornets and Ball, criticizing the offense they employ, though he did credit them for picking Ball in 2020, claiming it was one of three recent draft hits.

"Some [three-point attempts] are god-awful. Essentially the Hornets with LaMelo Ball is a frat party with no chaperone," Cowherd said. "They are out of control... They're kind of a mess. It's not schemes, it's not great sets. The coach lets them play."

This is highly disrespectful to both Ball and Charles Lee. It reeks of Cowherd not ever watching the Hornets, because Lee's offensive design maximizes Ball and his teammates, and his actions are some of the best in the NBA. But regardless, it works.

The Hornets had the fifth-best offensive rating in the sport this season. Since January 1, they have the best offensive rating in the NBA. That's not out of control, nor is it just players out there hooping, but I digress.

Nick Wright BLASTS LaMelo Ball

“That young man is a clown, and has been a clown forever... The way he conducts himself on the court and it would appear off the court is that of an immature coddled teenager."

(h/t @awfulannouncing) pic.twitter.com/nbHFyJXOXI
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 15, 2026

Wright's anti-LaMelo Ball take centers on what happened with Bam Adebayo. By now, everyone's seen the video of Ball seemingly tripping Adebayo, whether it was intentional or not is up for debate (and that's not just Hornets bias).

Wright shredded Ball, though. "I'm not sorry... that young man is a clown and has been a clown forever, and will never not be a clown," Wright said before walking back a bit after some pushback. "The way he conducts himself on the court and it would appear off the court is that of an immature coddled teenager."

The segment was about whether or not Ball should've been ejected from the contest for tripping Adebayo, but we haven't seen this level of vitriol over perceived dirty plays for anyone except maybe Draymond Green.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) moves the ball against Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Grayson Allen and Lu Dort get a pass, but Ball doesn't for one of two incidents in six NBA seasons, the latter of which isn't even universally agreed upon as dirty. This all just goes back to the idea that he's not serious or a winning player, which has been pretty universally debunked this year.

Wright, like Cowherd, clearly does not watch the Hornets. Ask anyone who's seen them play, and they'll tell you how much more serious Ball has been in 2025-26. Ask the people in the building. Lee and Jeff Peterson rave about Ball's work ethic, his leadership, and his coachability.

That's not an unserious sort of player. And while we're on the topic, Ball's reckless driving in Charlotte is certainly problematic, but it feels like a genuine cheap shot from Wright just trying to pile onto Ball because he's upset about the Adebayo trip.

Being creative on the court, unapolagetically yourself off it and in interviews, and playing with a joy for the game (key word) of basketball does not make one an unserious player, and it's ridiculous that we're still hashing this out on the eve of another postseason game for Ball and the Hornets.

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