Bam Adebayo Breaks Silence on Season-Ending Lamelo Ball Incident

The Miami Heat's best player, Bam Adebayo, played just 11 minutes in his team's final game of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Adebayo suffered a lower-back injury during the first half of Tuesday night's NBA Play-In Tournament matchup against the Charlotte Hornets and was unable to return to the court. The Heat center sustained his injury on a hard fall under the basket, facilitated by a leg swipe from Hornets guard Lamelo Ball.

Ball wasn't called for a foul at the time of the incident, but the NBA later issued a retroactive Flagrant 2 foul. He was also fined $35,000 for "making unnecessary and reckless contact" with Adebayo and creating "a significant injury risk."

The Hornets ultimately went on to win with a 127-126 final score in overtime, capped off by a game-winning layup from Ball.

After the game, Ball apologized for his role in Adebayo's injury.

Adebayo discussed the incident for the first time in a press conference on Thursday.

"I've always had great conversations with him. It's never been any bad blood between us," Adebayo said. "I can't tell you what goes through his mind. But like I said, with the referees and the NBA, you should be able to review a hostile act no matter how long the possession went by."

Adebayo added that he's not heard from Ball personally since the incident.

"It didn't happen," he said. "I wanted to be out there. At some point I’ll see him again and we’ll have that conversation and we'll move on."

The Hornets will face off against the Orlando Magic in the final Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament game on Friday night, fighting for the No. 8 seed in the NBA playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers claimed the No. 7 seed with a win over Orlando on Wednesday.