Charlotte Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball apologized Sunday for the fine-inducing anti-gay comment he had made one day earlier.
In a post-game interview Saturday after the Hornets’ win over the Bucks, Ball, 23, was asked about his team’s defensive prowess on the final play of the game — a contested jumper that Giannis Antetokounmpo missed to hand Charlotte their fifth win of the season — and responded, “We loaded up, no homo.”
“Before we get started, I just want to address the comment yesterday,” Ball told reporters Sunday following the Hornets 128-114 loss to the Cavaliers. “I really didn’t mean anything [by it] and don’t want to offend anybody. I’ve got love for everybody, and I don’t discriminate.”
The NBA levied the maximum allowable penalty for that “offensive and derogatory” language: a $100,000 fine.
Charlotte’s rookie head coach Charles Lee told reporters he spoke to Ball about the incident, noting that the fifth-year guard was “very apologetic” and vowed to learn from his misbehavior.
“He and I talked about it and he definitely said, going forward, ‘I’m going to be better,’” Lee said. “And I want to see that happen.
“As an organization, that [language] is obviously not something we condone. Our standards and what is required of our players in the environment we create is really important to us.”
The head coach was adamant that the bad language was uncharacteristic of his star guard.
“From what I’ve seen since I’ve been around him, he loves everyone. He’s a joy to have around the facility and [speaking like that is] not typically how he operates,” Lee said. “He and I talked about the seriousness of the situation and how he needs to conduct himself going forward.”
Through the season’s first 13 games, Ball is averaging a career-high 29.7 points per game.
With a record of 5-8, Charlotte currently sits in ninth place in the Eastern conference.
