The Charlotte Hornets completed a massive comeback Saturday night, erasing a 15-point deficit to beat the Bulls 112-99 at United Center. But Nikola Vucevic and LaMelo Ball’s elite trash talk has been getting the limelight, which has started a very different story beyond the final score.
Nikola Vucevic Confronts LaMelo Ball in Epic Trash Talk
With 13.9 seconds left and the Hornets leading 110-97, Ball stole the ball from Matas Buzelis and ran down the court for a big dunk. The Hornets guard did perform the garbage-time hammer because the Bulls completely collapsed in the third quarter.
Chicago shot a brutal 21.7% from the field in the period, going 5-for-23 overall. The Hornets outscored them 32-17 in that frame, turning a comfortable lead into a blowout loss. With the game out of reach, Ball caught Bridges’ steal and had nothing but open hardwood ahead of him.
The All-Star guard threw it down with authority despite the clock winding down. The unwritten rule says you dribble out the clock when the game’s decided. Ball had zero interest in following that code. His dunk increased the Hornets’ lead from 13 points to 15 points right at the end of the game.
Vucevic, who dropped 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting in a losing effort, wasn’t having it. The Bulls big man confronted Ball immediately after the final buzzer. A verified X account from LegendZ lip-read the entire exchange between the two players at midcourt.
What LaMelo Ball Really Said To Nikola Vucevic👀:
Vuc: “You need to stop”
Melo: “Why are you so mad? I can shoot the ball, f*ck you mean?”
Vuc: “You need to stop with that”
Melo: “That n**** said I can’t shoot the ball, relax” pic.twitter.com/dOrXurq6GI
— LegendZ (@legendz_prod) January 4, 2026
Vucevic: “You need to stop.”
Ball: “Why are you so mad? I can shoot the ball, f*ck you mean?”
Vucevic: “You need to stop with that.”
Ball: “That n**** said I can’t shoot the ball, relax.”
Ball’s response referenced earlier trash talk during the game, suggesting someone on the Bulls had questioned his shooting ability. The heated conversation drew players from both benches before officials and teammates separated them.
Vucevic has now been frustrated twice in five games over opponents’ scoring late. Days earlier, Giannis Antetokounmpo dunked with 1.9 seconds left in Milwaukee’s 112–103 win over Chicago and Vucevic became the 1st to confront Giannis. That moment created even more tension, and several players had to be separated.
