Lately, the Charlotte Hornets have been known for their off-court antics more so than any successful product on the basketball court. Unfortunately, Charlotte has somehow gotten in their own way yet again, and this time around it involves star point guard LaMelo Ball.
Ball and the Hornets were hit with a civil lawsuit alleging he drove over a child’s foot after attempting to secure an autograph. This event took place in October, but it was now elevated to this due to no cooperation on securing insurance for the situation on Ball’s side.
Tamaria McRae is the mother of the Angell Joseph, who is now 12-years-old. He was the one who had his foot run over by Ball’s car at the Hornets’ annual Purple and Teal day scrimmage on October 7, 2023.
According to the lawsuit filed, the family is seeking in excess of $25,000 alongside any attorney fees for fighting this case against Ball and the organization.
Joseph suffered a broken foot from the incident, but this will now have to be settled in court most likely down the road.
For the Hornets, this is another ugly look that is self-inflicted by their most important player. Especially with Ball signing a $200-plus million rookie-scale max extension last offseason, this is inexcusable to even have to be in this situation.
After being involved in a year-long saga with Miles Bridges due to a disgusting felony domestic violence case, which included a year-long absence in 2022-23, Charlotte was supposed to be exiting this era of dysfunction. With an entirely new leadership group in place throughout the front office, a culture shift has been mentioned frequently as one of their biggest hopeful improvements. Now, with Ball appearing to recklessly drive for no reason, hurting a young Hornets fan in the process, it's an another off-court moment that stains this era.
Before being sidelined for the remained of the regular season due to another ankle injury, Ball averaged 23.9 points, 8.0 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 22 games.
Stay tuned to Swarm & Sting for the latest on what will become an ongoing development with Ball.