LaMelo Ball is being sued by a Charlotte mother after she alleges the Hornets star ran over her then-11-year-old son’s foot following a fan event at Spectrum Center. 

Tamaria McRae told WSOC-TV on Tuesday that Ball drove over her son, Angell Joseph’s, foot when he tried to approach Ball’s vehicle to get an autograph outside the arena on Oct. 7, 2023 after the team’s annual Purple and Teal Day. 

One of Joseph’s players was Ball, according to McRae. 

“[Angell] was like, ‘LaMelo, I love you. I love you, sign my … give me your autograph. Can you sign it for me?’ McRae told the television station. 

Ball left without signing anything, the boy’s mother said, and she saw Joseph go down, at first thinking that he had dropped something. 

But she quickly realized the situation was more serious than that and claimed Ball had driven over the boy’s foot and broke it. 

The now-12-year-old spent months recovering and McRae said that at times she didn’t recognize her own son, who dealt with more than just the physical injury. 

“For a while, I couldn’t even recognize who my child was because, like depression, not being able to go outside and play,” McRae said. “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.”

The family’s lawyer, Cameron DeBrun, said that because key details, such as Ball insurance information and his name, were not on the police report they found their only route was through the courts. 

They would have filed a claim with Balls’ Insurance to cover Joseph’s medical costs if they had access to that information. 

DeBrun pushed back on the notion that the family was only targeting Ball because he is famous. 

“I’d say if that was the case, we would have done this a long time ago,” he said. “They had no desire to seek legal action. They wanted healing.”

The family is also suing the Hornets, who they feel should have done more to protect fans who were trying to get closer to players that day. 

The suit claims that Joseph suffered injuries and damages totaling more than $25,000, according to TMZ. 

Ball has not addressed the lawsuit publicly. 

The Hornets have not made any public comments about the suit.