Iman Shumpert Defends LaMelo Ball Amid Controversy Over 'Dirty' Play Involving Bam Adebayo 

LaMelo Ball has been loving Bam Adebayo’s legs lately. Jokes aside, he has grabbed the Miami Heat superstar’s legs on multiple occasions, including the recent game. 

During the Charlotte Hornets’ much-needed victory over Miami, Ball was at the front and center of the team’s scoring as well as leadership. The 24-year-old point guard showed wonders throughout the game, peaking in the final moments of the night.

However, deep into the second quarter, Ball tangled with Adebayo’s legs in a sequence while hitting the ground. Or, in Iman Shumpert’s words, he swept Bam off the floor with his left hands resulting in the Heat superstar’s exit with just 11 minutes into the game.

While LaMelo acknowledged the incident and clarified that he didn’t intend to actually foul his opponent, his post-game comments were loud and clear.

Though Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called him out for his antics, not everybody was on that side of the conversation. Shumpert, on the other hand, defended the Hornets star over the dirty play.

“Little stuff like this,” he said. “Just kind of happens. Guys are tangled up. I think LaMelo went down on that play. I don’t think it was intentional. Bam didn’t have any balance, and he just took it with him. It’s unfortunate, but I don’t think it was a dirty, sought-after play to take Bam out of the game.”