It’s not uncommon to hear f-bombs bleed into sports broadcasts, but they’re usually a little less blatant than the ones Lamelo Ball dropped on Bally Sports Southeast over the weekend.
After leading the Charlotte Hornets to their fourth straight win Saturday night, Ball was in a cheerful mood as he began his courtside postgame interview with reporter Ashley ShahAhmadi. The All-Star point guard broke down the team’s game plan before the win as teammate Miles Bridges walked by and grabbed Ball by the shoulders.
Ball shoved Bridges away, insisting to ShahAhmadi that he wasn’t going to let it bother him. “I’m gonna keep it cool, calm and collective,” Ball said before adding, “f*ck that boy up.” Oops.
Ignoring the gaffe, ShahAhmadi jumped right into the next question, probably assuming there’s no way Ball could drop another expletive during their brief interview.
But as he discussed the pace of the game, another teammate ran behind the Hornets point guard and bopped him on the head while still on camera. The playful pat prompted Ball to drop his second f-bomb of the interview. “Today’s f*ck with Melo day, OK,” Ball turned and said to ShahAhmadi. Another oops.
After Ball completed the minute-long courtside interview on Bally Sports Southeast, Hornets play-by-play voice Eric Collins finally acknowledged the expletives. “Fantastic work, we apologize for the youthful exuberance of LaMelo Ball,” the popular Hornets broadcaster said.
Basketball fans have grown accustomed to the Ball family providing surprising quotes over the years. Basketball fans are also growing accustomed to the 20-year-old Lamelo Ball being a star in the league as he attempts to get Charlotte back to the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2016.
