Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball raised eyebrows on Saturday by dropping a homophobic phrase into a post-game interview after beating the Milwaukee Bucks.
‘We loaded up – no homo,’ Ball muttered on the court after Charlotte’s controversial 115-114 win. ‘That’s what we wanted, put a hand up and then live with the results.’
Fans were quick to seize on the comment, although there were a variety of reactions.
Some predicted a fine for Ball, which is par for the course in the NBA.
Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas was fined $40,000 for saying the same anti-gay remark in a 2023 interview. Five years earlier, Denver Nuggets sensation Nikola Jokic got a $25,000 fine from the league for saying ‘no homo’ at a time when the Serbian-born center was still improving his English.
LaMelo Ball talks to a courtside reporter following Saturday’s controversial win over the Bucks
Many others reveled in Ball’s comment, seeing it as a form of protest against political correctness.
‘We need this,’ another fan wrote. ‘I’m tired of phony responses from people.’
One fan simply summarized the situation by writing: ‘Trump is here let’s go.’
‘Why is this controversial?’ one woman asked on X. ‘He is simply pointing out that he is not a homosexual, lest there be confusion due to his reference to loading up, which could be construed sexually. He has not denigrated the lifestyle in any way.’
But many were confused as to how the term ‘loading up’ can be misconstrued.
‘Doesn’t even make sense,’ one fan wrote on X.
‘Least necessary ‘no homo’ I’ve ever heard,’ another added.
Unfortunately for the visiting Bucks, Ball’s comment wasn’t the only controversy in Charlotte on Saturday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo shouldn’t have been called for a foul against Ball, referees determined, agreeing with Bucks coach Doc Rivers’ criticism of the play that gave the Hornets the eventual winning points in a 115-114 victory over Milwaukee.
With the Hornets trailing by one, Ball drove the right side of the lane and appeared to slip and fall. Replays didn’t appear to show any contact, but Antetokounmpo was whistled for the foul with 7.3 seconds left. Ball made both free throws to give Charlotte the lead.
‘I thought the final play was the ref blowing a call,’ Rivers said. ‘This is back-to-back games now where on the final play there has been an incorrect call made.’
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers was furious with officials after Saturday’s defeat
Giannis Antetokounmpo (right) posts up on Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams
The Bucks did not have a challenge left. If they had, the call would have been overturned on replay, crew chief Curtis Blair said afterward.
‘During live play we called illegal leg-to-leg contact,’ Blair said. ‘During postgame review when we looked at the play there was no illegal contact on the play.’
Antetokounmpo’s jumper at the buzzer rimmed out and the Hornets escaped with the win.
A similar scenario occurred earlier this week against the Detroit Pistons when Antetokounmpo was whistled for a phantom call with a second left in regulation and the score tied at 111.
But in that game, Pistons forward Ron Holland II missed two free throws and the game went into overtime and the Bucks prevailed 127-120 behind 59 points from Antetokounmpo.
‘LaMelo Ball fell,’ Rivers said. ‘He just fell down. Nobody was near him. He slipped on his own. We come up with the ball and the game is over. So back-to-back games now we have had a call made against us that is incorrect. We were lucky in Detroit the kid missed two free throws. Tonight LaMelo Ball made the free throws.’
