LaMelo Ball has been fined by the NBA over a gesture he made during Tuesday night’s game between the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat.
The NBA announced on Thursday that Ball has been fined $35,000 for making an “obscene gesture” during his team’s 144-117 loss to the Heat.
Ball drove to the lane and was called for a charge with just over 4 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of the game on Tuesday. Immediately after the call was made, he turned in the direction of an official and very briefly stuck up his middle finger.
LaMelo Ball was fined $35K by the NBA for flipping off the referee after being called for a charge late in the 4th pic.twitter.com/TX7QTektg0
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) October 30, 2025
The official saw the gesture, and Ball was given a technical foul.
The NBA’s announcement did not specify that Ball gave the middle finger to a referee, likely because there is no way to prove where the vulgar gesture was being directed. Either way, it was a violation of league rules and led to a fine for the star point guard.
Ball has played well through the early part of the season. He is averaging 26.3 points, 9.5 assists and 8.3 rebounds across four games. The Hornets are coming off a disappointing 19-63 season, and there has been speculation that they could decide to move on from Ball.
