Charlotte Hornets star point guard LaMelo Ball struggled to get going during Monday’s 110-108 road loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Still, Ball entertained fans with his comical early-game antics, going viral for a banshee-like shriek at one of his teammates.
LaMelo Ball’s Unorthodox Demand for Ball vs. Raptors Sparks NBA Fan Amusement
Suiting up for the second time in three outings since his five-game absence due to a right ankle impingement, Ball appeared rusty. He shot just 6-for-19 (31.6%), including 1-for-7 from 3-point range (14.3%), en route to 20 points. However, the one-time All-Star was locked in early, as demonstrated during a humorous first-quarter sequence.
After forcing a steal, Ball saved the ball from going out of bounds by directing it to rookie teammate Sion James, then swiftly made his way up the sideline and back into play. Upon getting open near midcourt, he proceeded to deliver a high-pitched scream for the ball.
James obliged, finding Ball, who drove and kicked the ball out to rookie sharpshooter Kon Knueppel in the corner for a triple with 8:08 remaining in the opening stanza.
LaMelo screaming at his teammates to pass him the ball 😭
pic.twitter.com/mjNIZigJkG— Squirrel🐿️Sports (@SquirrelSports0) November 18, 2025
The play quickly made the rounds on X, with NBA fans likening Ball’s screech to various creatures and young children.
“Idk about yall but he sounds like a raptor or pelican. Definitely not a hornet,” one fan said.
“Lmao was that a banshee?” another wrote.
“Sounded like a middle school kid hitting puberty,” one user quipped.
“Is that the 8 year old girls team I’m hearing?” another remarked.
“i’m crying bro he’s genuinely belting that sh*t at the top of his lungs,” one more chimed in.
Some fans came to Ball’s defense, though, reasoning that his outburst was justified given his teammate’s slow reaction time.
“Defense lagging behind and he’s jogging up the court. He was right to call for it lol,” one fan pointed out.
“The 1 was sleeping man keep ya head up up. Lamelo was right,” another asserted.
“the ball carrier was sleeping, he had to scream,” one user contended.
Despite overcoming a 12-point deficit, Ball and Co.’s comeback effort ultimately came up short. Raptors shooting guard RJ Barrett converted a go-ahead layup to put Toronto up 110-108 with 18.4 seconds to go.
Raptors star forward Scottie Barnes then sealed the deal with a game-saving block on Hornets guard Collin Sexton’s game-tying putback attempt in the final second.
The gut-wrenching defeat marked Charlotte’s third straight and sixth in seven appearances, dropping it to 4-10 and 1-6 on the road. Meanwhile, Toronto (9-5) has won eight of its last nine contests since starting 1-4.