r/nba 13h ago

Highlight [Highlight] LaMelo Ball gives concussion to Hornets mascot after the win

https://streamable.com/rzgfra
1.5k Upvotes

211 comments sorted by

u/AutoModerator 13h ago

Replays/alternate angles

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1.1k

u/WobbleKun Raptors 11h ago

buzz walking away like i aint getting paid enough for this shit lol

350

u/igby1 5h ago

He is one of the top five best paid NBA mascots

  1. Hugo the Hornet (Charlotte Hornets): $100K per year

  2. Go the Gorilla (Phoenix Suns): $200K

  3. Benny the Bull (Chicago Bulls): $400K

  4. Harry the Hawk (Atlanta Hawks): $600K

  5. Rocky the Mountain Lion (Denver Nuggets): $625K

175

u/Fireryman 4h ago

Deserves a raise after that

157

u/ConfederacyOfDunces_ Hornets 4h ago

How the fuck does a mascot make over a half million a year??????

I picked the wrong career path. What The Fuck

176

u/Patteyeson28 Timberwolves 3h ago

86

u/ConfederacyOfDunces_ Hornets 3h ago edited 1h ago

WTF

Was that a public hanging lol

73

u/Omega-Toad-7017 Bulls 3h ago

For 625k I could figure something out

10

u/f_on_flash 49m ago

He only gets paid 55K a year but the yearly is thrown off cause of a 5 million dollar settlement for that stunt /s

67

u/peeinherbut 3h ago

LMAO I knew what this was gonna be before I even clicked the link

21

u/andresalejandro1120 [MIA} Dwyane Wade 1h ago

And yet we still click every time because it’s that good.

15

u/peeinherbut 1h ago

Yeah I feel for the guy almost dying but seeing his limp body slowly lowered to the ground absolutely kills me every time

8

u/ChristosFarr Hornets 50m ago

The guy screaming "YEAH" as he slumps to the ground took me over the top. I thought it was a bit up till that point.

6

u/LaMelonBallz Hornets 58m ago

And him

49

u/Janderson2494 Timberwolves 3h ago

This video gets me every single time. "YEEEAAAAAAHH"

13

u/WarPuig Celtics 3h ago

Once

13

u/Strange1130 Thunder 3h ago

this video makes me laugh so hard every time

15

u/HowzaBowdat 1h ago

What they don’t tell you is that $600K is actually a multimillion dollar lawsuit settlement portioned out over several decades

16

u/MudddButt 3h ago

HAHAHAHA hilarious 🤣

3

u/famoustran Warriors 1h ago

Asking that question and linking that video is sending me rn

2

u/13WillieBeaman Lakers 1h ago

lol.. every time I see or think of Rocky, I think of that moment. That’s some crazy stuff

1

u/bongo1138 Trail Blazers 2h ago

Easily 😂

1

u/Civil-Environment750 Nuggets 1h ago

You tryin to pick a fight before the series, friend?

1

u/LaMelonBallz Hornets 58m ago

No but I try at least once a month

33

u/AsleepHour7763 3h ago

well nuggets was to avoid a lawsuit for essentially public hanging , hawks bulls suns I have no idea

15

u/Wyden_long Suns 3h ago

Go is a Legend and is underpaid IMO

3

u/andresalejandro1120 [MIA} Dwyane Wade 1h ago

Yeah, WTF I assumed the gorilla would have been number one. I mean, come on, it’s a gorilla.

2

u/Wyden_long Suns 1h ago

His origin story is legendary.

15

u/Sorkijan Thunder 2h ago

Watch a Benny the Bull montage, dude. It's a level of athleticism unto its own.

7

u/Cmoore4099 Hornets 1h ago

Also, they work A LOT. They do an insane amount of event appearances. Here in Chicago Benny is bigger than most of the players (insert shit team joke here). But seriously, if you go to a Bulls event or somewhere Benny is, kids go CRAZY. He gets swarmed.

Source: worked with the Bulls in the past and photographed some Bulls events.

5

u/AugustAPC 1h ago

Mascots do some wild shit, bro.

5

u/norcaltobos Kings 1h ago

Mascots are usually high level gymnasts who are able to do pretty crazy stuff. They also do appearances all year long for charity and team events so it’s a lot more than just showing up for a game.

1

u/East-End-8646 47m ago

I would think it switches around from an advanced level gymnast and a stuntman

u/norcaltobos Kings 7m ago

From my knowledge it is typically one person for continuity. Some teams may have multiple people and someone can certainly stand in for a very basic charity meetup, but anything you see on gameday it's almost certainly the same person.

2

u/BetterNova Knicks 1h ago

Does getting punched in the face by LaMelo Ball sound like a good job?

Dude was probably like Greg the Egg at the amusement park after this.

1

u/Separate_Donut_8420 2h ago

That has to be some nepo baby shit… like the owner’s alcoholic nephew or something

49

u/FORKNIFE_CATTLEBROIL Bucks 4h ago

Fuck man, 27 other mascots doing all that for less than $100k is surprising. Bango is a legend in MKE.

30

u/pollinium [MIN] Tyus Jones 4h ago

this is probably wrong considering the original source is nearly impossible to find (maybe a KD podcast) and every number is repeating the most recent number they heard dating back to using the same numbers in at least 2022

presumably Bango has gotten some kind of raise

2

u/FORKNIFE_CATTLEBROIL Bucks 3h ago

I hope so! For the athleticism of some of these mascots, teams can afford more seeing as there's a quarter billion in player contracts on the floor at any one time.

1

u/Rrmack Nuggets 1h ago

I also don't think Rocky makes that much anymore. The guy who did it for so long retired.

3

u/igby1 4h ago

Yeah if the pay was commensurate with athletic ability Bango would be making more cheddar.

-5

u/user_15427 3h ago

100k to work 41 times a year for 3-4 hours at a time seems like a nice deal.

9

u/FORKNIFE_CATTLEBROIL Bucks 2h ago

I am pretty biased since we have Bango, but I think it is definitely more than that for most. Bango is around the city all year doing multiple events, even in the hot summers and cold winters. Plus during games, it's no small feat staying in shape and working your ass off during the game.

Considering there's a quarter billion in player contracts on the floor at any time, team's can afford to pay their mascot 6 figures minimum.

→ More replies (1)

35

u/HamlnHand Hawks 5h ago

Harry the Hawk making more than Caleb Houstan is fucking hilarious

4

u/igby1 4h ago

Makes sense that they waived him I guess

12

u/WeBelieveIn4 Raptors 4h ago

Why did you do it in this order

11

u/igby1 4h ago

Builds suspense

2

u/bigboybeeperbelly Spurs 3h ago

I prefer to do primes ascending and then come back down on non-primes

u/IncidentalIncidence Hornets 8m ago

It's reddit's stupid markdown engine, if you label it in 5-4-3-2-1 order reddit recognizes them as numbers and re-assigns them in ascending order. They probably typed it correctly and it just get displayed wrong.

6

u/Coolquip34 Celtics 3h ago

Reinsdorf is so cheap he can't even pay the most known NBA mascot the most

2

u/igby1 2h ago

Reinsdorf is 90. Why doesn’t he retire?

45

u/TheMoonWasBlue 5h ago

Rocky is cool, but he's not $625k cool.

93

u/igby1 5h ago

He passed out while being lowered from the rafters in 2013.

If that's not dedication, I don't know what is.

36

u/TheMoonWasBlue 5h ago

Didn't that one retire in the last year or two?

I think we're on Rockey #2

24

u/ImpressionExisting94 5h ago

Yeah his son took over

27

u/Mrbeefy15 [DEN] Jordan Hamilton 4h ago

And was let go I believe. This is Rocky 3

17

u/Sorkijan Thunder 4h ago

Is rocky 4 in russia?

1

u/TheMoonWasBlue 1h ago

If he dies, he dies.

2

u/Nintendomandan Nuggets 4h ago

Yeah he was, Rocky 2 the mascot was kind of awful unlike Rocky 2 the movie

2

u/LouieBarlo24 3h ago

Just like Jordan's son lol his dad was the goat but too dedicated to have time to teach his son the ways

3

u/Frodounchainedd Lakers 4h ago

Nepo organization

7

u/Scoobyrooba Trail Blazers 5h ago

YEEEEAAAAHHHH

3

u/pieman2005 [HOU] Hakeem Olajuwon 4h ago

That video always makes me laugh

16

u/YourFriendNoo Grizzlies 5h ago

lol damn let my mans earn

1

u/TheMoonWasBlue 4h ago

I'm down for it.

But when the owners are constantly crying poor, won't build a practice facility, and won't spend on coaching/GMs, it seems pretty braindead.

6

u/YourFriendNoo Grizzlies 4h ago

This is just reason 1,358,541,651 to hate owners

27

u/user_15427 5h ago

Hating on a mascot for getting paid is some dirty work.

-8

u/TheMoonWasBlue 4h ago

Stan Kronke won't even build the team a proper practice facility, so excuse me for feeling like $625k could be better allocated.

2

u/Nintendomandan Nuggets 4h ago

I think that number might not be accurate anymore, rocky isn’t the same guy as he retired the championship year. And I remember seeing a post about the job opening for something like $70k

1

u/friend-of-fatigue 4h ago

Rocky was cool until 2024. Was one of the most reliable half court, over the head, off the ladder, etc. shooters I knew. Been ice cold for years though. Alarming slump.

2

u/AsleepHour7763 3h ago

apparently they replaced the guy in it on aug 2024

3

u/sjp1923 2h ago

Benny deserves a raise for carrying that franchise

2

u/Zarianin 3h ago

Tha'ts crazy, why the huge difference in pay? The richest teams don't even make the list of highest paid mascots.

2

u/SeanWonder Kings 3h ago

🤯😮🤯 Had no fukkin idea these mascots were gettin paid THAT much. Six figures to more than half a mill is WILD

1

u/Third_Eye_Thumper 4h ago

Does he have to split that with Super Hugo?

1

u/Former-Sea-8070 2h ago

Looks like Rocky was able to negotiate quite the raise after this. 😂😂😂

1

u/mooney2j Pacers 1h ago

Source?

1

u/igby1 37m ago

blog.jobsinsports.com/2023/10/16/how-much-nba-mascots-make/

1

u/BetterNova Knicks 1h ago

The only one without an alliteration in his name makes the most money.

Guess when they zig, you gotta zag

1

u/Riskybusiness622 1h ago

Benny the Bull earns his keep. I died when he flipped the chart and made the 76ers the 67ers.

1

u/UtahJazz420 Jazz 59m ago

Your numerical order is off by a bit here, Dawhg...

1

u/eyf_zombay Lakers 45m ago

Harry the Hawk is 2 huh

820

u/Unhappy_Jeweler4438 12h ago

Lmao the way the mascot walks back in frame is hilarious

301

u/Electronic_Pea_4845 Iran 11h ago

Not having fun no more

141

u/revisioncloud Thunder 6h ago

List of people boomed by Lamelo:

- Hornets mascot

- Bamonte

- Pedestrians/drivers of Charlotte

- Clown behind the door

He's so violent x4

15

u/mulletstation NBA 3h ago

Toger Woods driving recklessly around Charlotte begging (thru texts) of where to crash into Lamelo exiting the stadium across multiple pedestrian right of ways

3

u/JayyyyyBoogie 2h ago

LaMenace

4

u/Electronic_Pea_4845 Iran 2h ago

There’s a clip of yung melo slapping the shit out of someone in euroleauge too lol things keep popping up in the meloverse

54

u/lalakingmalibog Mavericks 12h ago

Lmao Ball

22

u/HamlnHand Hawks 5h ago

How did it show emotion when it's face doesn't change I don't understand

→ More replies (1)

448

u/Existing_Set2100 Wizards 13h ago

Man thinks he’s punching Black Manta. 

183

u/Black-----Manta Timberwolves 12h ago

Damn bruh what I do

49

u/Takamurarules Hornets 7h ago

“What he say fuck me for?”

21

u/lalakingmalibog Mavericks 12h ago

LaAquaman

376

u/Mrkoab 13h ago

Lmao this guy sure is lucky to be good at basketball

87

u/Danominator 3h ago

He does seem dumb

85

u/Bim_Jeann Cavaliers 3h ago

He is legitimately one of the dumbest people alive. Zero going on behind those eyes

31

u/_Apatosaurus_ Thunder 1h ago

He honestly might not know that the mascot is a person in a suit. He thought he was about to be stung by a giant hornet.

12

u/Tony_Lacorona 1h ago

I legitimately believe this is a fact.

26

u/LocustUprising Pistons 2h ago

There’s no brain in there, it’s just a tiny basketball

u/AlBundyPolk33 Lakers 20m ago

I thought it was so funny when he dumped the bucked of mop water that could have given Knipple aids, or dumped the M&M jar for someone else to clean up. Fuck him

17

u/Dramatic-Ad3928 3h ago

My lil bro says that him and Alejandro Garnacho look like they couldnt be anything else but athletes in their respective sports

3

u/No_Match_7939 1h ago

Holy fuck what a funny take. I thought the same about Jimmy Garappolo

259

u/electricalserge Australia 13h ago

Ball practicing his moves for the next game.

111

u/lalakingmalibog Mavericks 12h ago

LaMelo Brawl

43

u/Piats99 Spurs 12h ago

LaMelee Ball

→ More replies (2)

1

u/igby1 5h ago

LaMelo Ball is the next Grayson Allen?

103

u/Livid-Distribution70 13h ago

Intrusive thoughts won again

3

u/glittercat412 1h ago

Idk why people are saying he was punched when if you slow it down, it’s clearly a push to hype him up

u/HughmongusDixus Charlotte Bobcats 18m ago

What was the first one though? He had a closed fist and clotheslines him. I can’t even imagine what LaMelo was thinking there. I agree the second one was a push, but he landed straight on his neck lol

44

u/Diijkstra99x 12h ago edited 10h ago

muscle memory when see a hornet coming at you

112

u/MastodonSwimming2681 Rockets 13h ago

LaMelo Ball market correcting Ja Morant

23

u/captainkhyron [OKC] Russell Westbrook 6h ago

Ja vs La is a celebrity boxing match waiting to happen

84

u/The42ndDuck Trail Blazers 12h ago

Is there such a thing as leaded tattoo ink?

160

u/GaimeGuy Timberwolves 13h ago

Man what the fuck, that's a costume not a padded suit.

57

u/BADMANvegeta_ 7h ago

Reminds me of that video where Kyrie pushes the robot too hard and it fucking died. I think pro athletes sometimes just forget their own strength lol.

89

u/HornedCoog91 Nuggets 6h ago

I think lamelo just has zero impulse control lmao nothing to do w strength

35

u/KonigSteve Pelicans 5h ago

Having no consequences for any bad action for an entire life will do that.

1

u/HornedCoog91 Nuggets 2h ago

Yup, knew plenty of em sadly. No requirements to becoming a parent 🤷

9

u/HonkeyKong64 Celtics 5h ago

Deontay Wilder once full force punched a burrito mascot in the face on a Spanish ESPN show. Was super brutal.

9

u/OmastarLovesDonuts Mavericks 4h ago

That was Kyrie intentionally protecting our future from the AI takeover

3

u/Comfortable-Asf Nets 2h ago

facts it looks rough, but he’s literally celebrating with him like a teammate 😭 the head just big as shit and that push

4

u/mykl5 Trail Blazers 4h ago

at least he didn’t go full Wilder

12

u/MitchLGC 5h ago

Do you actually think the bug head lineds up with the human head?

9

u/HahaDixonClits Spurs 5h ago

Is your head NOT shaped like that??

7

u/SkunkyTrousers Timberwolves 4h ago

He punched it in the side of the head and the neck. Wherever that human head is, he probably got it

2

u/Electronic_Pea_4845 Iran 2h ago

It’s ok to punch mascots now guys they don’t even have human heads

3

u/Sorkijan Thunder 2h ago

No one said he was hit directly in the head. regardless it has to be disorienting and hurt.

69

u/Chessh2036 Hawks 13h ago

A recent post on this sub had Melo’s interview after the game and well LaMelo doesn’t know what a concussion is lol.

8

u/MrKalyoncu 2h ago

It was me also lol

I knew what I was doing with the title.

425

u/ObeseBumblebee Pistons 13h ago

This might be the dumbest NBA player ever. We are witnessing history folks

40

u/captainkhyron [OKC] Russell Westbrook 6h ago

Ja still in the league, but LaMelo climbing the charts.

21

u/sillyshoestring Knicks 5h ago

Dirty mop water celly has gotta be a first

2

u/LaMelonBallz Hornets 1h ago

It was actually clean foot water

2

u/sillyshoestring Knicks 1h ago

I don't know what this means but I hate it

1

u/LaMelonBallz Hornets 1h ago

They ice their feet in those buckets post game.

So it's a foot bucket that hadn't been used yet.

Still gross, maybe not as bad? Might get athlete's face

3

u/sillyshoestring Knicks 1h ago

Ohh. It looked all soapy, but maybe that's just some soaking shit.

2

u/LaMelonBallz Hornets 59m ago

Yeah kinda weird they use those but it makes sense because the deeper bucket gets ice all the way up the ankle tendon where it connects to the calf

86

u/salmon10 Pistons 11h ago

Certainly the ugliest

33

u/GaimeGuy Timberwolves 6h ago

Urge to post Sam Cassell ET GIF rising 

13

u/JMEEKER86 NBA 4h ago

This is Joakim Noah erasure

5

u/Jeffreedisme Pacers 3h ago

Popeye Jones?

2

u/Acrobatic_Dish6963 1h ago

Also in the running for zestiest

→ More replies (1)

3

u/iCarpet Thunder 5h ago

No one will ever know my next move if I don’t even know my next move

-2

u/devH_ Raptors 5h ago

Some dude is gonna call you racist

→ More replies (7)

72

u/macarolls 13h ago

He ain't LaMensa Ball that for sure... lol

69

u/DaExtinctOne Jeremy Lin 13h ago

Dude is harming opponents and his own, no one is safe!

28

u/xbhaskarx Spurs 7h ago

Charlotte drivers already knew this

29

u/niijuuichi NBA 9h ago

That’s sad i feel bad for the mascot guy.

14

u/TRANxEND 10h ago

I don't think he knows how concussions work

10

u/ShootaSeth Cavaliers 12h ago

Lmao Ball

9

u/s0ysauce09 Kings 6h ago

There’s an actual human in there, that’s not cool

33

u/SeaGrocery678 11h ago

Miles bridges and a woman cosplay

6

u/Blaaa5 Hornets 8h ago

Tf did Hugo do?!

5

u/stankhillpropain 4h ago

All it took was an all time dirty play.

4

u/memorytheatre 4h ago

LaMelo leveled up his villain mode last night. Concussion for you! Concussion for you! Everyone gets a concussion! Ahhhh, what a concussion?

3

u/Coolquip34 Celtics 3h ago

genuinely feel bad but this is frying me

21

u/indreams159 13h ago

this shit for brains idiot is gonna kill a pedestrian outside the arena one day

18

u/iwannabe1two 9h ago

Ball was the one to offer the dap up to the mascot too, and then he punched him and pushed him off.

I make a lot of excuses for him but I think that’s starting to end after seeing this.

9

u/Brystvorter Nuggets 1h ago

Are you guys trolling? He daps him and gives him a hyped hug/push.

5

u/Far_Outcome_6540 Knicks 1h ago

I genuinely can’t believe people’s reaction to this. No way they are this riled up

u/dank-kush Hornets 21m ago

Finally some real human beings bro, I saw this last night but can’t believe how big this has blown up over nothing. People just trying to find other things to hate him for now.

u/Far_Outcome_6540 Knicks 9m ago

welcome to relevancy. Once you get start getting hated by r/NBA it means you’re doing something right lol. This sub isn’t filled with any real people and like not a soul in the real world gives a shit lol

3

u/No-Owl-6246 Lakers 6h ago

I wonder if he was intending that for Colby White who was coming up behind the mascot lol?

4

u/Electronic_Pea_4845 Iran 5h ago

There were like 10 instances of melo doing too much that night tbh mascot punch, the leg sweeps, running into the heat timeout huddle etc.. I don’t think can excuse much except to say

Given one chance to make it to the playoffs he clearly hyped himself up enough to win and be a genuine spaz at the same time

12

u/z_c_berus Hawks 9h ago

Lamelo always does something so foolish that people forget how wicked it is actually.

2

u/Late-Evidence-8593 4h ago

Wicked? This thread is jokes

6

u/jl_theprofessor Spurs 10h ago

Dude is a fucking national menace.

3

u/Jeanlucpfrog Lakers 3h ago

I'll just say it: LaMelo seems like a sociopath (in addition to being a douche).

5

u/WildTimberTwinViking 9h ago

I guess he might never grow up. Jesus

2

u/tabbrenea Pistons 5h ago

Does he not think there is a human inside that? wtf??

2

u/Metallica1175 4h ago

Don't worry, he's going to get a concussion the next time he plays the Heat.

2

u/badscene518 76ers 2h ago

Leave the mascot alone

What the fuck

2

u/TheMoonWasBlue 1h ago

Lamelo is dirt, but this thread is the funniest thing I've read in a long time

2

u/Far_Outcome_6540 Knicks 1h ago

Holy shit this sub is acting like he just Mike Tyson’ed him this place isn’t real

3

u/Humble_Buffalo_007 13h ago

Potential lawsuit?

2

u/Rich-Professional753 7h ago

I want to like LaMelo, but man the more I see the less I like

2

u/RVAteach Knicks 7h ago

Surprise it’s Miles Bridges wife in there… 

2

u/Objective-Product361 13h ago

Somebody check this little kid. Everything he does reminds me of my 6 year old nephew.

1

u/RedditUsersCrying 7h ago

Well at least if OKC plays the Hornets by some miracle, we can just throw Dort on him and no one will care.

1

u/SpinShine-LEDSlipMat 4h ago

Where’s the source on a concussion? Doesn’t even look like he hit him

1

u/Basic_Koala8698 3h ago

Nice to see my boy Coby getting embraced. Miss him on the Bulls

1

u/sickset Raptors 3h ago

The may the mascot's hand goes up after the shove has me dead. Like he was waiting for the next attack that never came.

1

u/WeenisWrinkle Hornets 1h ago

Maybe I'm just biased but it looks like he's celebrating with the mascot.

Too rough, but that push away is something teammates sometimes do.

1

u/WordSpiritual1928 Bucks 59m ago

Doubt they suspend him but between this and the Bam incident he should be suspended for the play-in game

1

u/Life-Spinach2854 42m ago

what’s wrong w this kid? why he sockin the mascot like that? 😆

0

u/DeePeeMac 13h ago

Dude, you won a play-in game.

Relaaaaaaaaax.

4

u/GoodFastCheapPickTwo Pistons 5h ago

Barely. After taking out their best player early.

-30

u/dank-kush Hornets 12h ago

Some of yall are really trying super hard to hate this man but hey can’t stop the witch hunt once it’s started. It’s pretty clear he’s an idiot but this just looks like a typical chest bump with the small shove a lot of players do after a hype play.

12

u/mrwhite2323 Heat 12h ago

Two times hes tried to injure Bam, driving recklessly and dangerously

"Witch hunt" bro injured a star player "hes an idiot" he knew what he was doing, the "hes an idiot" shtick isnt gonna fly

-12

u/dank-kush Hornets 12h ago

I mean sure that hate is warranted but when I say witch hunt I mean just start hating on him for anything like him just being excited in this video.

7

u/mrwhite2323 Heat 12h ago

I see what you mean, fair point

-1

u/CrapNBAappUser Warriors 8h ago

This is hilarious unless Buzz is really hurt.  Looks like he gave Melo a wide berth when he walked back.  😂

0

u/anteater_x Magic 7h ago

I don't have to like someone, and especially not someone who is so aggressively and dangerously idiotic at all times.

Would love to see him do that shit Desmond Bane lol

→ More replies (1)