Tamaria McRae is suing LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets on behalf of her son, Angell Joseph, after she said the NBA star ran over his foot in his car while fans were attempting to get autographs following an Oct. 7 event, per Jason Stoogenke of WSOCTV.com.
Joe Bruno @JoeBrunoWSOC9An 11-year-old was waiting outside the Spectrum Center after the Hornets' Purple and Teal Day. He wanted an autograph from LaMelo Ball<br><br>His mom says Ball didn't sign anything. He sped off in his car and drove over the 11-year-old's foot, breaking it.<br><br>A lawsuit has been filed… <a href="">
McRae said that Joseph—who was 11 years old at the time—had his foot broken in the alleged incident.
"[Angell] was like, 'LaMelo, I love you. I love you, sign my... give me your autograph. Can you sign it for me?'" McRae noted of the moments before Ball allegedly drove off.
"I just seen my son kind of go down and I thought maybe he had dropped something," she added of the moment Ball allegedly struck Joseph's foot.
The family's lawyer, Cameron DeBrun, said no claim was filed with Ball's insurance company to pay the medical bills because the police report didn't include the NBA player's insurer or his name. He said without that information provided, their only available action was to sue Ball and the team.
The Hornets were named in the lawsuit, meanwhile, because the family felt more safety measures should have been put in place to protect fans who were going to be near the players.
Ball, 22, appeared in just 22 games this past season, as a right ankle injury cut his campaign short. He averaged 23.9 points and 8.0 assists per game while healthy, shooting 35.5 percent from three.
Injuries have limited him to just 58 games over the past two seasons, halting what was an incredibly promising start to his career after he was the Rookie of the Year in the 2020-21 campaign and an All-Star the following season.
