LaMelo Ball is the recipient of the first fine of the 2025-26 NBA season, as he will send a $35,000 check to the league office after he gave a referee the middle finger stemming from a charge call in the fourth quarter of Charlotte’s 144-117 loss to the Miami Heat.
Ball received a technical foul for the gesture during the game, but the league tacked on an additional fine and now Ball will be a little lighter in the pockets because of the way he showed his late-game frustration in a blowout loss.
Aside from that loss to Miami, it has been a strong start to the 2025-26 season for Ball and the Hornets. He is back healthy and looking to show he’s still an All-Star talent, averaging 26.3 points, 9.5 assists, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in the team’s first four contests. As a team, Charlotte is off to a 2-2 start and hoping to take some strides to get back into the East’s Play-In race this year.
If Ball remains healthy and continue playing at this level, they have a good chance to be in the playoff hunt. He will want to find some different ways to vent after a call he doesn’t like unless he wants to continue making charitable donations via fines.
