Hornets All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball has been dinged to the tune of $100K for issuing a derogatory slur during a televised postgame interview, the NBA has announced in a statement (Twitter link).
Ball was speaking after a heroic 15-point fourth quarter individual effort helped Charlotte secure a 115-114 victory over the reeling Bucks on Saturday.
Across his 12 healthy contests, the 6’7″ pro is averaging a career-best 29.6 points on a .440/.364/.875 slash line, along with 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals a night.
The 23-year-old wrapped up the encounter scoring a game-most 26 points on 7-of-20 shooting from the field, but compensated with a steady diet of free throws. He shot an immaculate 11-of-11 from the charity stripe. Ball also chipped in nine rebounds and six assists.
Charlotte has gotten off to a steady 5-7 start, good for the East’s No. 8 seed, under new head coach Charles Lee, who won a championship with the Celtics last year under Joe Mazzulla. Next up for the Hornets is a road date with the undefeated (14-0) Cavaliers on Monday.