LaMelo Ball has had a rough couple years. The NBA superstar has struggled to stay healthy on the court, and now, he's been dragged into a potential court case involving an injured fan. On May 21, a lawsuit was filed against Ball for an incident dating back to October 2023. The lawsuit was filed by Tamaria McRae after an incident in which the athlete allegedly damaged the foot of her son Angell. The news broke via WSOC-TV reporter Jason Stoogenke.
Tamaria claimed that Angell McRae was waiting to greet members of the Charlotte Hornets during the team's annual Teal and Purple Day. LaMelo Ball is Angell's favorite player, and he approached Ball with the intention of getting an autograph. Tamaria claims that Ball rejected the request for an autograph and promptly sped off without giving Angell so much as a second look. "[Angell] was like, 'LaMelo, I love you. I love you, sign my … give me your autograph. Can you sign it for me?,'" she recalled.
LaMelo Ball Reportedly Ignored The Fan's Autograph Request
LaMelo Ball got in his car and sped away. According to Tamaria, however, he did not give Angell enough time to get out of his way. The 11-year-old's foot was allegedly smashed by Ball's car and subsequently shattered. "I just seen my son kind of go down and I thought maybe he'd dropped something," Tamaria recalled. "When you see your children hurt, it hurts you. It’s been rough. It’s been real rough. I mean like I’m a strong person. This broke me. This right here, it really did."
Tamaria claimed that the incident not only affected her son physically, but psychologically as well. "For a while, I couldn’t even recognize who my child was," she told WSOC-TV. "Because, like depression, not being able to go outside and play." Tamaria tried to file a claim with Ball's insurance, but the NBA star's insurance was apparently missing crucial information.
As such, Mrs. McCrae is suing both LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets organization. The family's lawyer, Cameron DeBrun, assert that they are not trying to capitalize on Ball's celebrity. "I’d say if that was the case, we would have done this a long time ago," he noted. "They had no desire to seek legal action. They wanted healing."
[via]