The play that LaMelo Ball pulled on Bam Adebayo during Tuesday night’s Play-In Tournament game has been the talk of the NBA world ever since. Ball has been fined $60,000 and hit with a Flagrant Foul 2 for making unnecessary and reckless contact with Adebayo.
But even with the punishment handed down, Adebayo still couldn’t understand one thing that why wasn’t the call made in real time?
Bam Adebayo’s Recent Comment Regarding the Incident With LaMelo Ball
During the Miami Heat’s exit interview for the 2025-26 season, Adebayo gave everyone some relief when he said he is not seriously hurt from the incident.
“I’m still walking, so I’m OK,” Adebayo said during the interview.
But still, Adebayo questioned why it took the officials so long to decide on the play. In his words, it just doesn’t make sense.
“But I think the officials handled it, I guess, by the rulebook. … It doesn’t make sense that 3 or 4 plays can go by and you can review a 3-point shot, but not review a hostile act,” Adebayo added.
After the game, crew chief Zach Zarba tried to explain what happened on the officiating side. The way he broke it down, the play was never whistled when it actually happened. No foul was called on the spot, so the game kept going, and Ball’s teammates pushed the ball up the floor for a fast break.
Since there was no whistle blown at the time of the contact, and the play was not immediately stopped, the referees lost their chance to go back and review the play. That window simply closed.
The rules do not allow officials to go back and look at something that was not flagged in the moment if the game has already moved on past it.
After the fall, trainers quickly checked on Adebayo. He managed to get up on his own and he slowly walked back to the locker room. The team later listed him as questionable to return due to a lower back issue, and he never made it back onto the court. Before exiting, he had only scored six points, and his absence was felt immediately.
Now the Heat who were without their defensive anchor, struggled to keep up with the Charlotte Hornets. Ball and Mikal Bridges went on to score 30 and 28 points, respectively, and won the game in overtime (127-126). This loss ultimately cost Miami a shot at advancing to the actual playoffs.
