Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball’s mouth has cost him six figures.
The NBA fined Ball $100,000 Sunday for making “an offensive and derogatory comment in a postgame interview” following the Hornets’ 115-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. The comment occurred after Ball was asked about the Charlotte’s final defensive possession, which ended with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo missing a midrange jump shot that would have won the game.
“On that last play, when he took the shot?” Ball said. “We loaded up — no homo — but that’s what we wanted, put a hand up and lived with the result.”
Believe it or not, Ball is not the first NBA player to be fined recently for saying “no homo” in an interview. He has, however, been fined the most for that particular transgression: Cam Thomas was docked $40,000 last year, while Nikola Jokic was fined $25,000 in 2018 and Roy Hibbert $75,000 in 2013.
“hol up pause dat…” Ball said on X/Twitter Sunday in response to the punishment.
Charles Lee, the Hornets’ head coach, discussed Ball’s comments and the NBA’s penalty during media availability Sunday.
“As an organization, that is obviously not something we condone,” Lee said, via ESPN. “Our standards and what is required of our players in the environment we create is really important to us.
“I spoke to Melo and he’s obviously very apologetic. From what I’ve seen since I’ve been around him, he loves everyone. He’s a joy to have around the facility and it’s not typically how he operates. He and I talked about the seriousness of the situation and how he needs to conduct himself going forward.”
On the court this season, Ball is averaging 29.6 points per game, fifth-most in the league, along with 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds. The NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020-21, he was an All-Star the following season.
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