A series of videos showing custom cars allegedly owned by LaMelo Ball running red lights and being driven recklessly through city streets has resurfaced online in the wake of a lawsuit accusing the Hornets guard of running over the foot of an 11-year-old fan who asked for an autograph.
The child’s mother, Tamaria McRae, is pursuing legal action against Ball and the Charlotte Hornets on behalf of her son, Angell Joseph, who suffered a broken foot after the NBA player allegedly drove over his foot outside of the Spectrum Center on Oct. 7, 2023, WSOC-TV reports.
Ball’s previous driving habits were called into question as news of the lawsuit surfaced, with some suggesting the basketballer has a history of driving with complete disregard for pedestrians.
“He definitely did it too – here’s a compilation of LaMelo leaving the Hornets arena while being an awful driver,” an X usere shared on May 21 alongside a collection of videos.
In the first clip taken in Jan 2023, Ball’s gold Ferrari SF90 is shown speeding out of Spectrum Arena into ongoing traffic, cutting off another driver. The risky maneuvering of the Ferrari left some observers questioning the driver’s skill set. “Does he know how to drive though?” a fan wrote on social media at the time.
The next clip shows Ball’s $350,000 custom purple Rolls-Royce Cullinan running a red light as he exits the arena. Over the video clip, a voiceover is heard saying, “LaMelo Ball drives like he’s in real life GTA (Grand Theft Auto) blasting through a red light.”
The next clip shows Melo’s red Ferrari F8 Tributo blasting through a red light before cutting to another clip of his Rolls making an egregious right turn in front of a gray truck.
On Dec. 16 2023, popular sports media company Overtime shared a separate video of Ball driving away from the basketball arena at a high rate of speed, presumably after a Hornets game.
“LaMelo really be zooming out the arena,” Overtime’s X account wrote, along with a laughing face emoji.
While it is possible the cars seen in the videos were registered to Ball, it is unclear if he was behind the wheel in any of them. However, Tamaria McRae is absolutely positive that LaMelo was behind the wheel when her son’s foot was broken.
McRae, who was at Spectrum Arena with her son and other Hornets fans on Oct. 7 for the team’s “Purple and Teal Day,” says she and Angell waited outside for the players as they left the facility.
McRae said that her son looked up to Ball. Cameron DeBrun, the family’s attorney, repeated that Angell considered Ball to be a “hero” leading up to the event.
“This is his hero, his idol, and he got run over by him,” DeBrun said.
According to McRae, Angell simply wanted to get Ball’s attention for a few seconds and get his autograph.
“[Angell] was like, ‘LaMelo, I love you. I love you, sign my … give me your autograph. Can you sign it for me?'” she told Action 9 News.
However, Ball did not sign any autographs. Instead, he sped off, running over the 11-year-old boy’s foot in the process.
“I just seen my son kind of go down and I thought maybe he had dropped something,” said McRae.
DeBrun noted that the police report failed to list LaMelo Ball’s name. The report also did not include any of Ball’s insurance information. Unable to file a claim to cover the months of recovery and expenses, the family has now been prompted to take legal action.
The family’s decision to add the Hornets to the lawsuit seemed to revolve around the security measures at the event. The family believes there were inadequate security measures in place, and fan safety suffered as a result.
“When you see your children hurt, it hurts you,” she added. “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,” McRae says. “For a while, I couldn’t even recognize who my child was because, like depression, not being able to go outside and play.”
“I always knew Lamelo Ball driving decisions would someday get him in trouble,” a social media user wrote.
Ball is an avid fan of cars, and the 22-year-old has frequently shared photos on his social media platforms showing his standing next to luxury cars, such as a neon Lamborghini Urus, in clothing that matches the vehicle’s exterior color.
Neither Ball nor the Hornets have publicly addressed the matter.
