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NBA Defends Call on LaMelo Ball’s Controversial Play in Hornets-76ers

LaMelo Ball didn't foul Jared McCain on Sunday, according to the NBA's L2M report.

Justin Grasso

Nov 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) and Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) battle for a loose ball before going out of bounds during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Nov 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) and Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) battle for a loose ball before going out of bounds during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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Sunday night’s overtime thriller between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Charlotte Hornets involved a sequence that was the talk of the NBA for a bit—mostly in defense of the Sixers.

Hornets star LaMelo Ball was whistled for a foul when he attempted to steal the ball away from Sixers rookie Jared McCain in overtime. For a moment, McCain was headed to the line, but the Hornets decided to challenge the play in hopes of taking away the opportunity for McCain to get some free throws off.

After a lengthy review process, the officials overturned the original call. As expected, the Sixers and the home crowd at the Wells Fargo Center were not pleased.

After the game, the Crew Chief explained the decision to reverse the call.

“After looking at the replay review, it was clear and conclusive that LaMelo Ball deflected the ball with his left hand prior to there being any contact,” said Sunday’s Crew Chief, Courtney Kirkland. “Because it was clear and conclusive, we were able to overturn the call. … It wasn’t a foul because [LaMelo Ball] legally deflected the ball from the offensive player.”

On Monday, the NBA released the L2M report on the game, which featured a paragraph-long explanation onfwhy Ball’s steal on McCain was, in fact, legal.

“Ball is in a legal defensive position in McCain's path as McCain attempts a basketball move to get around him, creating body contact. Ball simultaneously reaches forward and dislodges the ball from McCain's control. The body contact on the play, which looks like a foul, is largely created by McCain as he runs into Ball. And while Ball does reach across McCain's path, since he gets to the ball and dislodges it, he is not illegally impeding McCain's progress.”

The NBA doesn’t always defend its officials’ decisions on the reports, but the league stands by the overturn of the original call.

Fortunately for the Sixers, it doesn’t matter much in the end. They ended up collecting the tight win in overtime anyway.

The Sixers defeated the Hornets 107-105. McCain finished the matchup with 27 points in 31 minutes of action. As for Ball, he produced 38 points in 40 minutes. The Hornets moved to 4-6 on the year, while the Sixers collected win No. 2 and won at home for the first time this year.

The 76ers will be on the floor once again on Tuesday to host the New York Knicks for the first NBA Cup action of the 2024-2025 NBA season.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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