LaVar Ball, true to form, told FS1 host Nick Wright and his fellow sportscasters to shut their mouths after Wright called LaMelo Ball a “clown” for tripping Bam Adebayo earlier this week.
The elder Ball addressed Wright, his fellow sports commentators, and Miami Heat head coach Eric Spoelstra in an Instagram Reels video uploaded Wednesday night. “Shut yo mouth Rudy poots,” reads the caption under the clip.
“We got these folks over here commenting on the game, talking about somebody a clown. Has Nick Wright ever looked in the mirror?” he said before taking aim at Wright’s co-workers. “Yes, I’m calling them all out. They all clowns.”
Ball also took a moment to justify his son’s actions, framing it as a form of self-protection. “If somebody falling on top of me, best believe Imma put my hands up and do all kinda stuff,” he said.
On Wednesday’s episode of First Things First, FS1 host Nick Wright shared his thoughts on LaMelo Ball tripping Bam Adebayo in the first half of the Charlotte Hornets’ game against the Miami Heat earlier this week. Ball grabbed the Heat star’s ankle, causing him to fall hard and forcing him out for the remainder of the game.
“That young man is a clown, and has been a clown forever, and will never not be a clown,” Wright said.
Wright got some pushback from his co-host Chris Broussard, so he took a moment to clean up his words a little before doubling down on his initial take.
“I don’t know what he will be down the road. 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,” Wright said. “And I’m not sorry and I don’t care if this gets clipped.”
LaMelo has always had a strong family support system. His brother, Lonzo, took a moment to defend his family member from Wright too.
“Folks saying clown wit a perm FOH,” he wrote before adding: “Nick Wright a bum!” alongside a clownface emoji.
Wright did take a moment to defend himself and his opinion on LaMelo’s tripping incident.
“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.
Bam Adebayo left the Heat’s overtime loss to the Hornets on Tuesday, April 14 after an incident in which LaMelo appeared to grab his ankle while he was landing from a rebound, drawing immediate backlash from Miami’s bench. With his right leg still in the air, Adebayo lost his balance and crashed hard onto his lower back and tailbone.
