Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball says he feels ‘blessed’ after featuring against Houston Rockets a day after being involved in a car accident.
The 24-year-old’s custom-made Hummer was in a collision with an oncoming vehicle in Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday.
The American put up 11 points and recorded seven rebounds and seven assists in his side’s 105-101 loss – but Ball was just thankful to participate.
“I’m alive and blessed,” he said.
“God is great.”
The front left tyre of Ball’s vehicle came off during the accident but nobody suffered any serious injuries.
Ball was spotted being picked up by a black Lamborghini shortly after the accident. Police were on the scene at the time.
“Fortunately everybody is cool, so blessings,” added Ball.
Ball joined the Hornets in 2020, when he was the third pick in the overall draft.
In 2021, he was named Rookie of the Year after a standout debut season in North Carolina, while he was named an NBA All-Star in 2022.
In November 2024, Ball was fined $100,000 (£79,000) by the NBA for making an “offensive and derogatory” homophobic comment during a courtside interview.
The fine was the maximum the NBA could hand out under current guidelines.
