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6 months ago
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NBA star LaMelo Ball is being sued by a mother who claims he broke her 11-year-old son's foot by driving over it.
Angell Joseph, who is 12 now but was 11 at the time, was trying to get Ball's autograph after waiting outside the Charlotte Hornets' arena following an event back in October.
'[Angell] was like, 'LaMelo, I love you. I love you, sign my... give me your autograph. Can you sign it for me?',' his mother, Tamaria McRae, told Action 9.
But she claims Ball did not sign anything for the waiting fans and drove away from the arena.
'I just seen my son kind of go down and I thought maybe he had dropped something,' she added.
NBA star LaMelo Ball is being sued by a mother who claims he broke her 11-year-old son's foot
Tamaria McRae says her son was waiting outside the arena waiting for Ball's autograph
Angell Joseph didn't get a signature but it's claimed Ball broke his foot as he drove off
But she says Angell was looking at his foot after Ball had driven over it and broken it.
'This is his hero, his idol, and he got run over by him,' their lawyer, Cameron DeBrun, added.
McRae claimed the injury left her son suffering from 'depression'.
She added: 'For a while, I couldn't even recognize who my child was because, like depression, not being able to go outside and play.
'When you see your children hurt, it hurts you. 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.'
DeBrun insists the family would have filed a claim with Ball's insurance to cover the costs of medical treatment but his insurer and even his name was left off a police report for the incident.
Ball signed a rookie max contract extension last summer worth up to $260m over five seasons
The family is also suing the Hornets, insisting the team should have had more safety precautions place to protect fans as they tried to get autographs from players.
Ball, who is only 22, signed a rookie max contract extension last summer that will pay him up to $260million over the next five seasons.
When healthy, he was dynamite this season averaging 23.9 points, eight assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 36 per cent from beyond the arc.
Ball, the 2022 All-Star point guard, has been limited to 58 games the past two seasons because of ankle issues and hasn't played for the Hornets since January 26.
English (US)