LaMelo Ball is averaging 29.7 points per game for the Charlotte Hornets this season (Image: Getty)
Former Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball has been given a huge fine by the NBA for using a homophobic phrase in a post-match interview.
Ball, 23, said “We loaded up… no homo” after sinking two crucial, late free throws to give the Charlotte Hornets a narrow 115-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. He added: “That’s what we wanted, put a hand up and then live with the results.”
In response to Ball’s ‘no homo’ comment, the NBA released the following : “Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been fined $100,000 (£79,000) for making an offensive and derogatory comment in a postgame interview, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations. Ball’s comments occurred following the Hornets’ 115-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 16 at Spectrum Center.”
Other NBA players have been fined for using the exact same phrase. But Ball’s punishment was even tougher than the £32,000 Cam Thomas of the Brooklyn Nets was fined last year, or the £20,000 penalty handed to Serbian star Nikola Jokic when he was still learning English.
Ball’s controversial remarks came after a contentious end to the Hornets’ victory, with Giannis Antetokounmpo called for a foul which turned the tide and left Bucks coach Doc Rivers seething.
“I thought the final play was the ref blowing a call,” said Rivers after examining the replays. “This is back-to-back games now where on the final play there has been an incorrect call made.”
LaMelo Ball was fined £79,000 for saying ‘no homo’ in a post-game interview (Image: Getty)
Though the Hornets have only managed to put together a 5-8 record, Ball himself has come racing out of the blocks in the 2024/25 season, putting up 29.7 points per game – the fifth-highest average in the NBA.
The California-born point guard was the third overall pick in the 2020 draft, three years after his brother, Lonzo, who now plays for the Chicago Bulls, went second overall.
While the fine handed down to LaMelo by the NBA represents a hefty sum, it is only a drop in the ocean for the Hornets man, who is picking up the equivalent of £536,000 a week this season.
The youngster, who skipped college and came straight to the NBA from playing in Australia, is already believed to be worth after just four completed seasons in the big league.
After the Bucks game, Ball notched 31 points and registered 12 assists in a 128-114 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.