Lonzo Ball Rips Nick Wright for Calling LaMelo a 'Clown' for Apparent Trip That Injured Bam Adebayo

It very much appeared as though Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball grabbed Bam Adebayo's ankle and tripped him during Tuesday night's Play-In Tournament game between the teams, with the Miami Heat center being ruled out for the remainder of the game with a back injury after the subsequent fall.

There was plenty of criticism levied at Ball after the game, including from FS1's Nick Wright, who called him a "clown" during Wednesday's First Things First (1:45 mark) and said he's "been a clown forever, and will never not be a clown."

Ball's older brother, fellow NBA player Lonzo Ball, did not take kindly to those remarks:

"[People] be running they mouth and never touched a rock," he added.

Ball's father, LaVar, also responded in his traditionally measured style:

Wright stood by his comments:

The Hornets point guard apologized after the game, a 127-126 overtime thriller for Charlotte, though he didn't offer a clear answer when asked if he intentionally grabbed Adebayo's leg.

"I apologize on that one," he told reporters. "I got hit in the head, didn't really know where I was but I'm going to check on him and see if he's okay and everything. ... I haven't even seen [replay of] it."

The Heat, understandably, had a different take on the matter.

"He should have been thrown out of the game for that," Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "There is no place in the game for that. ... I don't think it's cute, and I don't think it's funny. I think it's a stupid play. It's a dangerous play and obviously our best player was out. I'm not making an excuse. The Hornets played great and made those plays down the stretch. We had opportunities to win. That's a shame. He should be penalized for that. I don't think that belongs in the game, you know, tripping guys, shenanigans."

The referees said after the game that the play wasn't reviewable since the play wasn't whistled dead and the ball remained in play. But much of the reaction from fans and pundits more closely mirrored Spoelstra's thoughts on the matter:

The NBA is reviewing the play in question, but NBA on Prime's Chris Haynes said he would be "surprised" if Ball was suspended for Friday's Play-In Tournament matchup against either the Philadelphia 76ers or Orlando Magic.

The Hornets must win on Friday to reach the NBA playoffs as the No. 8 seed, with the top-seeded Detroit Pistons waiting.