Head coach Charles Lee cut a sheepish figure as he walked into the press room following the Charlotte Hornets 102-95 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, immediately taking responsibility for one of the more bizarre moments of the season.
“Stupid … coach,” Lee said, shaking his head as reporters waited for him to speak.
The remark followed a first-quarter head-to-head collision between Lee and star guard LaMelo Ball near the Hornets’ bench. The impact briefly sent Ball to the locker room, raising concern inside the arena before trainers confirmed he was able to return.
Ball had a one-inch laceration above his eye glued shut and rejoined the game minutes later. He went on to score 26 points, grab eight rebounds and guide Charlotte to its seventh consecutive win, underlining his importance to the team even after the scare.
The unusual incident occurred as Ball attempted to save an errant pass from Miles Bridges near the sideline. Lee, pacing the bench area, never saw Ball approaching and instinctively bent down to retrieve the ball, believing it was heading out of bounds.
As Lee lowered his head, Ball came racing toward him at full speed. The two collided, sending the second-year coach tumbling into the scorer’s table. Ball remained on the floor for several moments, while both men clutched their heads in visible discomfort. When Ball stood up, he covered his right eye with a towel as he was escorted to the locker room.
“I took a play off, and you’re not supposed to take any plays off,” Lee said, squarely blaming himself. “I thought the ball was going out of bounds and I was going to save it from going into the stands and he was going to save the ball. We went head-to-head. Credit to him, he didn’t yell at me too bad.”
Ball later laughed off the incident while speaking in the locker room.
“He went for the ball and I went for the ball and obviously we bumped heads,” Ball said. “It was unfortunate, but hey, I’m still alive and breathing, so who cares? We got the win, so that’s what most important.”
Lee never left the sideline and praised Ball’s response.
“I love his spirit of, ‘Hey let me get to the back, get cleaned up and get back out there,’” Lee said. “It just shows the growth that he continues to have.”
Ball had already scored 18 points in the first half to keep Charlotte competitive after falling behind by 22. In the second half, he delivered several clutch baskets, including a rare two-handed dunk in traffic, added five assists and finished with just two turnovers.
“It was a great job by him of responding to a foolish coach,” Lee said.
