LaMelo Ball Avoids Talking About Car Accident In First Game Back

LaMelo Ball addressed the media for the first time since his Wednesday accident in Uptown Charlotte -- which left his Hummer missing a wheel and a person with minor injuries -- though the hooper wasn't in the mood to open up about the ordeal.

The 24-year-old sat down in front of microphones following the Hornets' 105-101 loss to the Houston Rockets Thursday night, and it was clear he was trying to keep things all about basketball.

When asked about the crash, Ball said it was "unfortunate, [but] everybody cool."

"So just blessings. God is great."

Just before getting up to leave ... a reporter asked why it appeared he left the scene not long after the accident, with Ball telling him, "You gotta check in on that."

In a video TMZ Sports obtained, Ball was picked up from the scene as he sat in his disabled 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1, hopping into a Lamborghini, before someone drove him away. An eyewitness told us it was about 10 minutes after the crash. No one has suggested LaMelo left the scene before he was permitted.

Back to the hardwood -- when asked how the last 24 hours have been going from the wreck to playing basketball, he once again opted to dance around the question.

"Just alive and blessed for real," Ball said. "God is great, like I said."

Aside from playing the day after the crash, yesterday's game won't be a memorable one for Melo. The former No. 3 overall pick put up 11 points in 31 minutes of play, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out seven assists in a loss.