Hornets' LaMelo Ball involved in car crash in uptown Charlotte

Joe Marusak, Alex Zietlow and Rod Boone, The Charlotte Observer on Feb 18, 2026

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball got into a minor collision on Wednesday afternoon in uptown Charlotte. Ball is fine and wasn’t injured, a league source told The Charlotte Observer.

Charlotte police have not released information. The crash happened at Trade and Tryon streets. The Hornets declined to comment.

MEDIC said one person was treated for non-life threatening injuries. WSOC video showed Ball getting out of his vehicle and into another vehicle.

Witnesses describe LaMelo Ball crash

Fifty to 100 people gathered around the intersection of South Tryon and West Trade streets just after 4:30 p.m. in uptown after the crash, witnesses said.

Zee Khan, an employee at Halal Food Cart, said he started his shift at 4:50 p.m. and the road was “clear” by then. His manager — who ran the cart the shift prior to him — heard “a noise, a huge bump” leaving “two cars completely damaged.”

A manager at Sweetgreen, which is at the corner of Tryon and Trade, said his colleagues saw Ball’s camo Hummer crash into a silver sedan right in the middle of the intersection — and a wheel fell off Ball’s car, the manager said.

Ball “never got out of his car or anything,” the manager said, before he was escorted away in another car.

Ball previously accused of running over boy’s foot

A lawsuit filed in Mecklenburg County alleges Ball ran over the foot of a 12-year-old boy who was trying to get his autograph in October 2023. The Hornets had played a scrimmage in the Spectrum Center, and the boy approached Ball’s car when he sped off.

The Hornets asked to be dismissed from the lawsuit and a judge granted that request in October. The lawsuit remains against Ball, who has argued that the boy caused his injuries. On Wednesday, a lawyer for the boy’s family filed a court document asking for more time to schedule a mediation session in the case.

Newton, other athletes also had car wrecks in Charlotte

In December 2014, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was in a car crash at South Church and West Hill streets. The crash sent Newton’s black Dodge truck tumbling sideways across a bridge over Interstate 277. The truck came to rest on the passenger side, its roof flattened. Newton was going to Bank of America Stadium to watch game film. He had two fractures in his back.

In October 2024, Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton was involved in a minor car wreck that did not result in any injuries requiring hospitalization. A team spokesperson confirmed to The Charlotte Observer that Dalton, his three children and the family’s dog were in his car driving westbound on Sardis Road approaching Providence Road when the crash occurred.

Last August, Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn was involved in a car crash on his way to work. According to a team spokesman, Horn was alone in his car when the incident occurred at the corner of Mint and Morehead Streets. No one involved in the incident was transported by emergency medical personnel.