LaMelo Ball may have delivered one of the most dramatic play-in performances in recent memory, but the incident that unfolded in the second quarter of Tuesday night’s game is now drawing serious scrutiny.
The Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime, but the loudest conversation coming out of Spectrum Center has nothing to do with Ball’s game-winning layup with 4.7 seconds left.
It has everything to do with what he did before that, and Stephen A. Smith has a message for him.
Stephen A. Smith Issues a Warning to LaMelo Ball After Bam Adebayo Incident
“And I think that they made the right decision by not ejecting him. But in hindsight, looking at it, there definitely should be a punishment coming down the pike. And most importantly, even though that doesn’t, you know, assuage or, you know, alleviate any disgust from the Miami Heat faithful, I think it’s important for the league to send a message moving forward,” Smith said on ESPN.
“There definitely should be a punishment coming down the pike…it’s important for the league to send a message moving forward, that stuff is not going to be tolerated at all, and they’re gonna be a bit extreme” – Stephen A. Smith on LaMelo Ball pic.twitter.com/E6YbwEyH9N
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 15, 2026
“That stuff is not going to be tolerated at all. And they’re going to be a bit extreme in the punitive damage that they exercise if somebody tries to pull that nonstop,” Smith added.
The play in question happened early in the second quarter after Ball’s failed layup attempt. While on the ground, Ball appeared to grab Adebayo’s left ankle as the Heat center landed near the line. Ball’s antic caused Adebayo to fall and eventually injure himself.
Adebayo, who averaged 20.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game during the regular season, never returned to the game.
No foul was called in the moment because referees could not review the play, as action had continued before it was whistled dead. The crew reviewed it at halftime but was unable to upgrade it under league rules. The NBA is now reviewing the incident ahead of Charlotte’s Friday play-in game, with a flagrant foul upgrade and additional suspension potentially on the table.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was blunt after the game, calling it a stupid and dangerous play and saying Ball should have been ejected. Ball himself apologized, saying he got hit in the head on the preceding play and was not fully aware of what happened.
As of April 15, league insider Chris Haynes announced that the NBA will review Ball’s decision to grab Adebayo’s ankle.
This comes as a surprising move, since there hasn’t been a review of the incidents that occurred before this. Maybe the incident is larger because Adebayo actually got injured? We won’t know until Adam Silver and Co. officially announce what they plan to do regarding Ball.
