“Hero ball” occurs in basketball when one player decides to be the “hero” and take the crucial shot(s). “Hero ball” can work when that player is a superstar, but team ball (such as passing for the best shot) is usually the preferred style of play.
 
The term appears to have been popularized in January 2010. “In case you wanted to look past the Big Three, sometimes Randy Foye plays ‘hero ball’ on offense too” was posted by Kyle Weidie (a Washington Wizards sportswriter) on Twitter on January 5, 2010. “Hero ball” can also apply to other sports—whenever an offensive player refuses to pass the ball or puck.
 
   
Twitter
Kyle Weidie
‏@Truth_About_It
In case you wanted to look past the Big Three, sometimes Randy Foye plays “hero ball” on offense too.
10:38 PM - 5 Jan 2010
 
Twitter
Kyle Weidie
‏@Truth_About_It
Randy “Hero Ball” Foye.
10:20 PM - 15 Jan 2010
 
Washington Wizards Basketball by Truth About It
Bulls Horn Wizards 121-119 In Double OT: Randy Foye’s Hero Ball Falls Short
By Kyle Weidie Updated: January 16, 2010
I don’t want to pick on Randy Foye. He’s a good guy who wants to succeed in the most honorable way possible. His numbers have also been admirable as of late. Over the last five games, Foye has averaged 20.6 points, 7.8 assists, 1.8 turnovers, 4.0 rebounds and a block and a steal. So, I can’t exactly blame Foye for having the ball in his hands at the end of regulation, the first overtime AND the second overtime with the game on the line, but I can blame the Wizards as a team for putting Foye in those situations.
     
Washington Wizards Basketball by Truth About It
Caron Butler Going Rogue: Wizards Branded by Mavericks 94-93
By Kyle Weidie Updated: January 21, 2010
(...)
When Caron Butler egotistically assumes he’s the man on the court without Gilbert Arenas, or enviously wants to be the man on the court with him, he’s doling blows to his basketball persona that was shaped by tough beginnings. Butler isn’t the only Wizard who’s played Hero Ball this season, but he’s been more afflicted with the basketball hubris disease than anyone else by far.
 
Twitter
Michael Bonner
‏@MikeBBonner
They can’t still 1-1, Skan playing to much “hero ball” as Doc Rivers would say, trying to do everything on their own
4:51 PM - 8 Jun 2010
 
Twitter
Rob Peterson
‏@ShotDrJr
Paul Pierce, postgame: We talk about that every day, making the extra pass and not play hero ball.
10:10 PM - 26 Oct 2010
     
Bullets Forever (a Washington Wizards community)
Washington Wizards Attempt “Hero Ball” And Lose To Phoenix Suns
By Sean Fagan  @McCarrick on Jan 22, 2011, 2:25a
(...)
Andray Blatche on hero ball:
 
Everybody trying to put the team on their shoulders and that’s not the type of team we are. We don’t have no person including myself that’s a Kobe Bryant or Dwayne Wade that can demand the ball in iso and carry this team.
 
ESPN.com
LeBron James and the hero-ball drug
Jun 11, 2011
Tom Haberstroh
ESPN Staff Writer
(...)
This 25-footer was LeBron James’ latest attempt at hero-ball.
 
Back in the Chicago and Boston series, LeBron hit some impossibly tough shots with the game on the line. He played hero, nailing every pull-up jumper, every fadeaway, every ill-advised shot. He hit them all.
 
When hero-ball goes well, it’s addictive. As we’re seeing now in the Finals, it’s the hardest of basketball drugs to kick. All the roaring crowds, the perpetual highlights on “SportsCenter,” the chest bumps from teammates? That is a high. And LeBron wants to feel that way again.
   
Twitter
robertliefeld
‏@robertliefeld
Team ball beat Hero ball!!! Yes!
9:46 PM - 12 Jun 2011
 
Twitter
Lawrence Ross
‏@alpha1906
The USA is playing the equivalent of hero ball in basketball.
2:05 PM - 17 Jul 2011
 
Twitter
Coach Lil H
‏@Nostradamusmatt
#austinrivers out there playing hero ball
5:22 PM - 21 Nov 2011
 
Bullets Forever (a Washington Wizards community)
Wizards Fall To Hawks As “Hero Ball” Rears Its Ugly Head
By Sean Fagan  @McCarrick on Dec 28, 2011, 10:02p
Thiis was probably not part of the blueprint. The Wizards came out flat tonight and were basically run out of the Hawks gym.
 
Urban Dictionary
Hero Ball
A style of basketball played by a person with average or mediocre talent who nonetheless believes he is the second coming of Michael Jordan. It involves lots of ball-hogging, mindless spinning and jumping, and taking a bunch of highly contested fadeaway jumpers that almost never go in.
Oh great, looks like fat Lenny has decided to play hero ball now that he’s in the game.
#ball hog #michael jordan #jordan effect #basketball #street ball #team player
by hoosiermoron86 May 10, 2012
     
Oregon Live
TNT’s ‘Hero Ball’ NBA promo misses the mark on what that phrase really means
Mike Tokito | The Oregonian/OregonLive By Mike Tokito | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on April 09, 2015 at 7:30 PM, updated April 10, 2015 at 2:33 PM
Like the teams in the league, TNT is gearing up for the NBA playoffs. This week, the network unveiled a new promo with the title, “Hero ball begins April 19.”
(...)
In the NBA, though, hero ball has become associated with players who over-dribble, dominate the ball and try to score in isolation plays, especially in late-game situations. In 2012, ESPN’s Henry Abbott wrote an entire article about Kobe Bryant’s penchant for this, and noted how ineffective it actually is.
 
“The first (and only) rule of hero ball: Big-name scorers must always take the last-minute shot,” Abbott wrote.
 
Twitter
Kyle Weidie
‏@Truth_About_It
@barrypopik Also think that there would be no ‘hero ball’ w/o crediting Andray Blatche, Nick Young, JaVale McGee & Jordan Crawford. #Wizards
10:10 AM - 18 Aug 2016
 
Twitter
Kyle Weidie
‏@Truth_About_It
@barrypopik I might generally credit the late, great Flip Saunders for “hero ball” ... although can’t say that he coined it.
10:09 AM - 18 Aug 2016