Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball was swiftly fined by the NBA for making a joke during a postgame interview that the league deemed “derogatory.”
After a 115-114 nail-biting victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on November 16, Ball was asked for his comments on the final play of the game.
“What did you see right here when Giannis [Antetokounmpo] took that shot and everyone was underneath the basket for that rebound?” a reporter asked the 23-year-old.
After confirming what the reporter said, Ball responded with his $100,000 answer.
“We loaded up — no homo — that’s what we wanted. Put the hand up and then live with the results,” the point guard replied.
It didn’t take long for NBA officials to push out a press release calling Ball’s joke “offensive” and slapping him with the whopping fine.
“Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been fined $100,000 for making an offensive and derogatory comment in a postgame interview, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations,” the league wrote.
‘… I don’t discriminate.’
The next day, head coach Charles Lee said the organization “obviously” does not condone Ball’s language.
“Our standards and what is required of our players in our environment that we create is really important to us,” the coach claimed during a press conference. “I spoke to Melo and he’s obviously very apologetic from what I’ve seen since I’ve been around him. He loves everyone and he’s a joy to have around in the facility, and that’s not typically how he operates.”
The coach added that his star player now knows “what’s going to be expected of him” and claimed Ball wants to “be better” going forward.
According to TMZ, Ball told journalists following Sunday’s 128-114 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers that he “really didn’t mean anything” by the remark and that he doesn’t “want to offend anybody.”
“I’ve got love for everybody … and I don’t discriminate,” Ball reportedly added.
The fifth-year player is averaging 29.7 points per game in 2024-2025 and is in the first year of a five-year contract extension that has him averaging over $40 million per season.
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Fearless, Nba, Hate speech, Woke, Charlotte hornets, Basketball, Sports
