LaMelo Ball tried to apologize to Bam Adebayo after the Charlotte Hornets-Miami Heat play-in game.
Ahead of the Charlotte Hornets' play-in game against the Orlando Magic to decide the eighth seed in the East, LaMelo Ball told reporters that he tried to apologize to Bam Adebayo after the Heat-Hornets 9-10 play-in game.
However, Adebayo was in the shower while Ball waited for him and the two stars couldn't connect.
Ball plans to reach out to Adebayo later.
The NBA fined Ball $35,000 for his trip of Adebayo. Ball was also fined $25,000 for cursing during his postgame interview on Amazon Prime with Cassidy Hubbarth.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters that Ball should have been ejected for the play. He was incensed that the refs didn't look at Ball's play.
Spoelstra, though, agreed with the NBA's decision not to suspend Ball for the Hornets' next game against the Magic.
"I didn't think that he needed to be penalized more moving forward. I don't think that would make sense," Spoelstra said. "I don't think he's a dirty player. I just think, in that moment, all things can be true. It was a dirty play and a dangerous play. It should have been caught at that moment. But it wasn't and then, you know, you move on."
Ball hit the game-winning layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime after Tyler Herro hit three free throws to give the Heat a one-point lead. LaMelo finished with 30 points and 10 assists while shooting 12-of-31 from the field, 2-of-16 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line against Miami.
Ball is the fourth player with at least 30 points and 10 assists in a play-in game. The one-time All-Star has been on a tear since the All-Star break.
The Hornets will face the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2026 playoffs if they beat the Magic. Charlotte went 3-1 against Orlando in the regular season.
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