LaMelo Ball showed up for the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night, one day after getting into a car accident in downtown Charlotte.
He finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a 105-101 loss to the Houston Rockets, but the postgame media session is what got people talking.
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Ball met with reporters after the game, and things got tense quickly. Questions about the crash kept coming, and the Hornets guard was not having it.
He looked frustrated as the topic lingered, and at one point, he walked away mid-question while a reporter was still trying to get an answer. The moment didn’t sit well with a lot of people once it started making the rounds online.
Ron Harper, the five-time NBA champion who played alongside Michael Jordan, did not hold back when he saw the clip. Harper called out Ball on X for what he viewed as an immature response to a serious situation.
“You did it speak on it and stand on like a adult,” Harper wrote.
You did it speak on it and stand on like a adult
— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) February 20, 2026
The accident happened when Ball, driving a custom-built Hummer, collided with another vehicle at an intersection. Video footage circulating online appears to show the Hummer crossing into the opposite lane just before the crash.
One of the wheels came off Ball’s vehicle during or after the impact, though the timing is not clear. Ball mentioned afterward that no one suffered major injuries, and the other driver got out of their car shortly after the collision.
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Feb 11, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) shoots a free throw during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Police arrived at the scene, but Ball did not stick around long. A Lamborghini pulled up and drove him away. When a reporter asked why he left, Ball kept his answer short. “Nah, you gotta check in on that,” he said.
The third overall pick from the 2020 NBA Draft does not seem interested in discussing what happened. He’s already looking to put the situation behind him and get back to basketball.
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