Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball has not suspended for a play that resulted in an injury to Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo, the league announced Wednesday.
Ball was instead fined $35,000 and assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for a play the league described as “unnecessary and reckless contact” that “created a significant injury risk.” Had he received such a foul during the game, he would have been ejected.
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He was also fined another $25,000 for using profane language in a postgame television interview.
The NBA had reportedly started an investigation to determine whether Ball tripping Adebayo, which took place in the second quarter of the Hornets’ overtime play-in win over the Heat on Wednesday, merited an upgrade to a flagrant foul and additional punishment.
After Ball was knocked to the ground, he appeared to grab Adebayo’s leg, leaving the Heat star off balance. Adebayo went down hard and was seen holding his back after the fall. Both teams continued to play after the incident, with the Hornets scoring at the other end before a timeout was called. Adebayo did not return to the game due to the injury.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was visibly frustrated on the sidelines and said after the game that action should have been taken against Ball.
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“Somebody has got to see that,” Spoelstra said in the team’s postgame news conference. “He should have been thrown out of the game for that.
“There’s no place in the game for those kinds of shenanigans. It wasn’t needed. [Ball] was frustrated, and I think he felt like he got fouled, so he took the liberty of yanking somebody. That should be penalized.”
Ball addressed the media after the game regarding his actions.
“I apologize on that one,” Ball said about the play. “I got hit in the head and didn’t really know where I was, but I’m going to check on [Adebayo] and see if he’s OK.”
Ball continued to be the main topic of conversation, finishing with 30 points and the go-ahead layup despite shooting 2-for-16 from 3-point range. It was an eventful game, and now he’ll be able to keep playing Friday when Charlotte faces the Orlando Magic.