LaMelo Ball made the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently. A Charlotte Hornets fan sued Ball after he allegedly drove over her child and broke his foot. Not long after that news came out, a video went viral on social media that showed LaMelo driving recklessly outside of the Spectrum Center.
Someone compiled clips of LaMelo Ball’s reckless and dangerous driving out of the Charlotte Hornets arena pic.twitter.com/6C48PDc6E6
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 22, 2024
Rushing out of the arena in his car when there are fans nearby and running red lights seem like things that Ball does fairly often. This would be a bad look for anyone as such, but it only gets worse when it's the biggest star on the city's NBA team doing it. The people in Charlotte cheer whenever they see Ball but they probably should worry a little bit now if they spot him in his car.
When you consider how recklessly he's driving, it is maybe slightly surprising that this alleged incident with the boy is the first time Ball seems to have harmed someone. As for this incident, it is claimed to have taken place on October 7, 2023.
Angell Joseph and his mother Tamaria McRae were waiting outside the Spectrum Center after the Hornets' Purple and Teal Day. The then-11-year-old wanted to get Ball's autograph but he sped away and allegedly drove over the boy's foot while doing so.
McRae told WSOC-TV that her son was affected physically and mentally following the incident, which would be understandable. The family attempted to file a claim with Ball's insurance to pay for the bills but with that information not available, a lawsuit has been filed.
McRae has also filed a suit against the Hornets, for not putting measures in place to better protect their fans. Neither the franchise nor LaMelo has commented on the matter just yet.
The 2023-24 campaign for the Hornets ended the same way as Ball's first three in Charlotte, in disappointment. The 22-year-old once again saw his season cut short by injury and with their star guard out, the Hornets finished with a woeful 21-61 record. They missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season, the longest active streak in the league.
Ball put up very good averages of 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 1.8 steals in 2023-24, but only managed to play in 22 games due to ankle problems. The one-time All-Star has played just 56 games now in the last two seasons and you do wonder if that injury bug will stay away in the future.
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