Draymond Green Defends LaMelo Ball After Viral Bam Adebayo Tripping Incident

LaMelo Ball said he was relieved to hear Bam Adebayo walked away without a serious injury. That did little to quiet the noise around what happened.

Early in the second quarter of the Charlotte Hornets' overtime play-in win over the Miami Heat, Ball tripped Adebayo as the Heat center fought to stay inbounds after pulling down a rebound. Adebayo hit the floor hard and didn't get up right away, staying down through two scoring possessions before being helped off with a lower back injury.

The NBA reviewed the play after the game and upgraded it to a flagrant foul 2, fining Ball $35,000 for the incident and another $25,000 for profanity during his on-court interview. No suspension came down, which meant Ball was free to suit up Friday against the Orlando Magic.

Draymond Green weighs in on LaMelo Ball controversy

The backlash came fast. But Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is not one buying into the backlash. Speaking on The Draymond Green Show, Green said the league got it right by keeping Ball on the floor.

He does indeed think Ball grabbed and pulled at Adebayo's ankle on purpose. Where he pushed back was on the idea that Ball meant to actually hurt anyone.

"I'm happy they didn't suspend LaMelo for a game because you can't suspend him just because he got hurt," Green said. "We saw the same thing when Sabonis grabbed my ankle and nothing happened. Absolutely nothing happened. So you can't have it both ways. Now, was it an intentional trip? To me, he grabbed and pulled him. Yes, it was an intentional trip. Was he intentionally trying to hurt him? No. I don't think LaMelo is thinking 'I'm bout to grab Bam's ankle, he's gonna fall on his [expletive] and hurt his back.'"

Green leaned on his own history to back the point. He referenced the Domantas Sabonis situation alongside his own experience as examples of the league failing to act consistently.

The Warriors forward argued that the NBA cannot change how it handles a play based on how bad the outcome turns out to be. Intent and result are separate things and need to be treated that way.

The play itself drew more attention when a clip from a January 2024 Heat-Hornets game resurfaced online showing Ball grabbing at Adebayo's leg while he was already on the floor.

Adebayo hurt his back on the fall. It could have been his head, his hip or his hand. Green's framework around intent makes sense as a philosophical argument but the pattern of plays involving Ball and Adebayo is hard to ignore.

Actions that carry real injury risk tend to leave a mark on how a player gets viewed around the league regardless of what the rulebook says.

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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 3:51 PM.