LaMelo fined $60K

LaMelo Ball was fined $60,000 after the National Basketball Association reviewed his trip of Bam Adebayo and his live postgame interview. (nba.com) The league said on April 15 that Ball’s contact on Adebayo was upgraded to a Flagrant Foul 2 and drew a $35,000 fine. James Jones, the National Basketball Association’s head of basketball operations, said the play created “a significant injury risk.” (nba.com) Ball was fined another $25,000 for using profane language during a live television interview after Charlotte’s 127-126 overtime win over Miami on April 14. The league did not suspend him. (nba.com) The foul happened with 11:13 left in the second quarter of the SoFi National Basketball Association Play-In Tournament game. Charlotte, the East’s No. 10 seed, still advanced by beating the No. 9 Heat in overtime. (nba.com) (espn.com) A Flagrant Foul 2 is the league’s more severe in-game flagrant designation, and the office can assign it after review even if officials did not call it that way live. In this case, the league chose a fine and a retroactive upgrade instead of a suspension. (nba.com) The decision keeps Charlotte’s lead guard available as the Hornets move on from a one-point play-in game decided in the final seconds of overtime. Ball scored 30 points in the win, including the go-ahead layup with 4.7 seconds left. (espn.com) For Miami, the review closed with a fine rather than a ban after a game that turned on thin margins from the opening round of the East play-in bracket. For Charlotte, it means Ball’s punishment lands on the league ledger, not the lineup card. (nba.com) (espn.com)