Hornets star LaMelo Ball faces lawsuit for allegedly driving over child’s foot

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets organization are facing a civil lawsuit from a woman who alleges the star guard hit her son with his car outside Spectrum Center last fall.

The suit, filed this week by Tamaria McRae in Mecklenburg County Superior Court, contends Ball ran over and broke her son’s foot with his car after the team’s annual Purple and Teal Day scrimmage on Oct. 7. McRae said Angell Joseph, 12, approached Ball in an attempt to get his autograph and the player sped off, running over Joseph’s foot and causing him to fall to the ground.

Cameron DeBrun, the family’s lawyer, told WSOC a claim was not filed with Ball’s insurance company to pay the child’s medical bills because the police report lacked Ball’s name and the provider of his insurance. Without that information, DeBrun said the family had to sue Ball and the team.

According to the lawsuit, the family is seeking in excess of $25,000 in compensatory damages plus any additional attorney’s fees and court costs.

The Hornets declined to comment.

Typically, following the conclusion of Hornets’ games, security has barricades in place outside the loading dock area to keep pedestrians and fans at bay, particularly when a car is leaving. It’s unclear if that was the case the day of the alleged incident involving Ball.

Ball is coming off a disappointing season, having played in only 22 games because of ankle injuries. He’s yet to log a full complement of games since the Hornets took him No. 3 overall in 2020 and will be the team’s highest-paid player in 2024-25 when his $200 million-plus max rookie extension kicks in.