The NBA Play-In Tournament, as a concept, has been hit or miss for a lot of NBA fans. But the actual games themselves have been well worth the price of admission. This year, fans were once again treated to an instant classic as the Charlotte Hornets took on the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference’s No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in.
LaMelo Ball iced the game in overtime, lifting Charlotte to the second play-in game. As a result, he received a special commemoration from Prime Video, which drew mixed reactions from NBA observers.
LaMelo Ball Earns Custom Chain From Prime Video After Shining in Play-In Game
A back-and-forth encounter saw both teams push each other to the absolute limit. Coming down to the final seconds, neither team got a double-digit lead at any point in the game. But the late-game heroics were a story in and of themselves.
First, a miraculous 3-pointer from the right corner by Coby White pushed the game to overtime, as the Hornets rallied back from down six with a little over a minute left in the game. But the night was about to get crazier during overtime.
Going tit for tat, it was Ball who hit a layup on Charlotte’s final inbound play, down one. The Heat tried to race up the court with Davion Mitchell getting a layup inside the paint. But Miles Bridges, who had been sensational all night long, had a ridiculously athletic block that won them the game.
The final score read 127-126 in favor of the Hornets, who willed a victory out in the clutch. Ball, their franchise superstar, had shown up in all facets of the game. Despite an ugly shooting night, he finished with 30 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds.
As a result, he was awarded the “Playmaker Chain” by Amazon Prime Video, which looked like a heavy necklace with a streaming device attached to it that plays highlights. Some in the basketball community loved the idea.
“This is incredible,” said LegionHoops.
Amazon Prime just gave LaMelo a chain on national TV.
This is incredible. pic.twitter.com/g5CMYgGNXI
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 15, 2026
“LaMelo Ball was gifted the NBA on Prime playmaker chain after the Hornets’ iconic win. This is awesome,” Hoop Central added after his spectacular game.
“So much aura,” another influencer added.
However, the praise for the Playmaker Chain wasn’t unanimous. During the broadcast, the game cut off at one point overtime, prompting widespread anger, including from LeBron James. Some took out theiranger on the chain, with one person joking, “They spent the money needed to broadcast overtime on this chain.”
Boston Celtics beat reporter Daniel Donabedian, too, joined in on the roast, writing, “Playmaker chain got a smoother stream than the actual streaming service.”
Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports made a hilarious joke at the superstar’s expense. “LaMelo Ball: Rookie of the Year, All-Star, NBA on Prime Playmaker Chain recipient. Trophy case really starting to fill up.”
Hilariously, as Ball wore the chain around his neck, the broadcast happened to show a close-up at the worst possible time. On the live broadcast, as he was being interviewed on the court, the first highlight showed Mitchell hitting him with a crossover into a 3-pointer.
First highlight on Lamelo’s chain postgame…
Davion Mitchell crossing him for 3 earlier in the game 💀💀 pic.twitter.com/GfpCWt8Z22
— Brandon Meeks (@MeeksKnowsBall) April 15, 2026
As Eric Hubbs of Barstool Sports joked, “Hey LaMelo congrats on the game winner, here’s a cool chain of a live highlight that shows a Miami Heat player crossing you guys up.”
Regardless of the jokes at Ball’s expense, it is a time of celebration in “The Hive.”
Tuesday’s win was a huge step in the right direction for Charlotte’s young core. This has been a renaissance for the organization as they’ve built a steady roster of homegrown talent, with intriguing young pieces like Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabaté around Ball.
Now, as they try to notch a second-straight play-in victory, the stage is set for an exciting future for the franchise as a whole.
