A new lawsuit alleges LaMelo Ball declined an 11-year-old’s fan autograph request before driving over his foot while speeding away.
Being the star player of an NBA franchise comes with endless responsibilities that sometimes can be exhausting, but nothing will build your fan base bigger than signing autographs for children. That’s a lesson that LaMelo Ball is accused of ignoring.
According to WSOCTV, a woman named Tamara McRae is suing LaMelo Ball after she says a nightmare encounter with him ended with her son’s foot broken. The event reportedly took place during a Charlotte Hornets fan event last fall when McRae said the NBA player ignored an autograph request and injured her child, Angell, as he sped off in his car.
“[Angell] was like, ‘LaMelo, I love you. I love you, sign my…give me your autograph. Can you sign it for me?’” McRae told WSOC-TV. “I just seen my son kind of go down and I thought maybe he had dropped something.”
Angell did not drop something, however, says the mom; his foot was run over by the athlete’s car. The protective mother is alleging that her son suffered from depression as a result of the injury.
“For a while, I couldn’t even recognize who my child was because, like depression, not being able to go outside and play,” she told WSCO-TV.
“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.”
Ball’s team The Charlotte Hornets has also been named in the suit.
Ball hasn’t publicly spoken on the litigation but social media sleuths have shared footage of the NBA player seemingly driving recklessly.