NBA punishes LaMelo Ball for dirty play on Bam Adebayo

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

NBA makes discipline decision on Hornets' LaMelo Ball for dirty play on Bam Adebayo

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Apr 15, 2026 10:48 PM ET

The Charlotte Hornets' 127-126 win over the Miami Heat in Tuesday night's NBA play-in game had no shortage of storylines. Not only did the Hornets keep their season alive with a thrilling overtime win to advance to Friday's knockout game, but Charlotte's LaMelo Ball made some headlines for a blatant (and flagrant) trip of Miami's Bam Adebayo.

Ball was not ejected from the game, and there was a discussion as to whether or not he should be suspended.

The NBA made its decision on Wednesday night.

LaMelo Ball fined, but not suspended for flagrant trip

Instead of a suspension for a pivotal elimination game, the NBA is fining Ball $35,000 for the trip and upgrading it to a flagrant foul, as well as fining him an additional $25,000 for cursing after the game.

That amounts to $60,000 in fines.

The important thing for him and the Hornets, however, is the fact he will be available for Friday's game against the Orlando Magic that will determine the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The NBA is fining Charlotte's LaMelo Ball $35,000 for his trip of Miami's Bam Adebayo and upgrading the action to a Flagrant, plus fining him $25,000 for cursing postgame, sources tell ESPN.

$60K in fines, Flagrant. No suspension. pic.twitter.com/7oCyuFbxim
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 16, 2026

Ball is one of the Hornets' most important players, averaging 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game this season.

He recorded 30 points with 10 assists in Tuesday's win over the Heat.

The conspiracy brain is going to look at this decision and argue that the league would never want to suspend a star player for such a big game unless it had absolutely no choice but to do so. And maybe there is some truth to that. The NBA, like any professional sports league, is an entertainment product and is going to want its best players on the floor for the biggest games.

Would Ball have escaped this with a fine if it were Game No. 44 of the regular season with a run-of-the-mill Friday night game against the New Orleans Pelicans looming on the schedule? Maybe not. But this is not a random, run-of-the-mill game in the middle of the winter. This is an elimination game with a playoff spot on the line. The winner of Friday's game between the Hornets and Magic will play the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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