Charlotte's mother is representing LaMelo on behalf of her child, accusing the NBA guard of hitting her son with a car as he was leaving the Spectrum Center after a fan event in early October 2023, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Mecklenburg. – Sues Ball and the Hornets in (NC) County Superior Court. Tamaria McCray is also suing the Hornets for negligence, according to the lawsuit.
Ball, who was attending an event called “Purple and Teal Day at the Hive,” left the arena in his car through the employee entrance. Fans, including McRae and his then-11-year-old son Angel Joseph, waited at the employee entrance to get autographs from the players as they left the arena in their cars.
According to the complaint, Joseph approached Ball's car, which was stopped at a traffic light outside the employee entrance. When the light turned green, Ball allegedly “suddenly accelerated his vehicle” and hit Joseph before leaving the scene. Joseph suffered “severely painful injuries,” according to the complaint. According to reports, Joseph broke his leg in the incident.
The complaint alleges that Ball operated his vehicle “without maintaining proper control” and “yielded the right of way to a pedestrian” and “applied the brakes in time to avoid an accident with a pedestrian.” He claims that he was negligent in failing to do so.
The complaint alleges that the Hornets failed to “implement appropriate safety and pedestrian control measures at Spectrum Center's employee exits.” The lawsuit alleges that the Hornets did not “adequately train employees” or “establish safety procedures” to protect pedestrians when players left Spectrum Center. There is.
The family is seeking more than $25,000 in damages from both Ball and the Hornets.
The Hornets declined to comment. Ball's representatives also declined to comment.
Ball, 22, was the third pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Ball, a 2022 All-Star, averaged 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 8.0 assists while shooting 43.3 percent from the field during the 2023-24 season.
(Photo: Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
