Bam Adebayo Exits Play-in Game With Injury After LaMelo Ball Leg Swipe

The Charlotte Hornets hosted the Miami Heat in the first game of the Sofi Play-in Tournament, with the visitors hoping to play spoilers in Buzz City.

Unfortunately, things went somewhat awry in the second quarter when star player Bam Adebayo took a hard fall on the court and exited the game. Adding to the incident was a replay showing Hornets star LaMelo Ball was involved in Adebayo’s tumble.

The injury occurred with under 11 minutes to go in the second quarter as Ball went for a floater in the lane with Adebayo and a teammate contesting it. Adebayo grabbed a rebound but was stepping on the out-of-bounds line and balancing on one leg.

Ball fell to the court after his drive, and while down, seemed to yank one of Adebayo’s legs, causing him to fall back on the court on his back. That immediately caused concern with Miami’s season on the line.

More news:LeBron James Reveals ‘Crazy' NBA Playoffs Prediction for Lakers

Soon after that, Adebayo was able to get up and appeared to be complaining to teammates and Erik Spoelstra about the officials.

The NBA on Prime commentators reviewed the replay and indicated Ball swiped Adebayo’s leg, causing the hard landing. The Miami Heat star then headed back to the locker room and didn’t return for his team for the remainder of the half.

A clip quickly surfaced on X with the individual who shared it calling it a “DIRTY A** PLAY” by Ball to cause Adebayo’s exit.

NBA on Prime’s sideline reporter Cassidy Hubbarth gave an update that Adebayo was “questionable” to return for the Heat due to a lower back injury.

The evidence was clear that Ball got involved to cause Adebayo’s fall. However, NBA on Prime’s commenters relayed an explanation from officials that, because of a change of possession in that sequence, they couldn’t review the play for anything involving Ball’s actions.

Meanwhile, the second quarter continued in a back-and-forth matchup, with Miami pulling ahead by two points at halftime, knowing the loser of this game would be out of the playoffs.

There’s no room for those sorts of plays in games, and former Heat star Udonis Haslem agreed. He called out the referees on the NBA on Prime halftime show, suggesting they were right there and should’ve called something on Ball for that particular play.

An injury to Adebayo for this game would be significant, especially if it’s more than just this game. First and foremost, his team would need to win against Charlotte without him on the court, as this is an elimination game.

If the Heat win it, they would then play either the Philadelphia 76ers or Orlando Magic in a second play-in game this week to secure their playoff spot. While they have plenty of talent on the roster, Adebayo is a dominant force when it comes to their postseason hopes.

More news:UConn's Dan Hurley Opens Up on Tough Transfer Portal Decisions

For more about the Miami Heat and the NBA, visit Newsweek Sports.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 6:14 PM.