LaMelo Ball sued for allegedly hitting a fan with car

Tamaria McRae is suing LaMelo Ball and the Hornets organization on behalf of her child, alleging that the star guard ran over her son's foot with his car while exiting exiting the Spectrum Center last October. The alleged incident occurred when Ball was leaving the arena in Charlotte after participating in a fan event called "Purple and Teal Day at the Hive."

According to the lawsuit filed on Tuesday, McRae is also suing the Hornets for negligence, ESPN reports.

The lawsuit claims that fans, including McRae and her 11-year-old son Angell Joseph, waited at the employee entrance in Spectrum Center to get autographs from Ball and other Hornets players as they left the arena in their vehicles. However, when Joseph approached Ball's vehicle at a traffic light outside the employee's entrance, the Hornets star allegedly drove "in a grossly negligent and reckless manner in that he accelerated his vehicle forward suddenly and without warning and struck [Joseph]." 

The 11-year-old fan, per the lawsuit, suffered foot and back injuries, after being struck by Ball's car. McRae alleged that her son dealt with "severe physical pain and emotional distress."

McRae is seeking damages in excess of $25,000. Neither the Hornets nor Ball's agent responded to the charges when contacted by ESPN. 

Ball appeared in just 22 games in the 2023-24 season while rehabbing a right ankle injury. He similarly played in just 36 games in the 2022-23 season after undergoing a season-ending surgery.