FS1 analyst Nick Wright had harsh words for LaMelo Ball after the Charlotte Hornets star tripped Bam Adebayo during his team’s play-in victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
“That young man is a clown, and has been a clown forever, and will never not be a clown,” Wright said on “First Things First” on Wednesday.
When he received pushback from co-host Chris Broussard, Wright doubled down on his take, attacking Ball for being immature.
“I don’t know what he will be down the road,” Wright said of Ball.
“What I do know is that the way he conducts himself on the court and it would appear off the court is that of an immature, coddled teenager. And I’m not sorry and I don’t care if this gets clipped.”
Ball Family Fires Back
Wright’s comments did get “clipped” and went viral on Wednesday, prompting strong reactions from LaVar Ball, the father of the Hornets star.
“We got these folks over here who aren’t commenting on the game but talking about somebody being a clown,” LaVar said via IG.
“Has Nick Wright ever looked in the mirror? I bet you if you look in the dictionary right now and look up ‘clown,’ you’re going to see two things. One, it’s going to be somebody with some long hair on the sides and a big nose. Yep, that’s Nick Wright—a clown in itself.
“He’s been a clown ever since I knew him,” LaVar continued. “And I know his tag team buddy too, Gritlock. He looks like a clown too—puffy cheeks, a big round nose, and a big belly to match. Yes, I’m calling them all out. They’re all clowns. So don’t ever curl your lips and say a Ball boy’s a clown, because you know you a clown.”
NBA Won’t Suspend LaMelo Ball
Elsewhere, Lonzo Ball sent out a series of messages on X directed at Wright.
Nick Wright responded to Lonzo by doubling down on his earlier take.
“Listen, I think the last time I went scorched earth on a guy was Pat Bev years ago… but after LaMelo intentionally injures Bam & plays one of the most erratic elimination games we’ve ever seen, in the same season he’s been a menace on the streets of Charlotte, if calling him a is too far, I don’t know what to tell you,” he wrote on X.
The NBA on Wednesday fined Ball $35,000 for “making unnecessary and reckless contact” with Bam Adebayo during Tuesday’s play-in contest. Many analysts felt that Ball should have been suspended for at least one game for his actions.
Ball revealed Tuesday that he apologized to Adebayo on two seperate occasions.
“I apologize on that one,” he said of the trip, via ESPN.
“I got hit in the head [on the play] and didn’t really know where I was. But I’m going to check on him, see if he’s OK and everything.”
The Hornets will face the Orlando Magic Friday night in the final game of the play-in. The winner will go on to face the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs.
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