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The National Basketball Association has reportedly handed down suspensions after an altercation took place during Sunday's Detroit Pistons-Los Angeles Lakers game. According to ESPN's Adam Wojnarowski, Los Angeles Lakers Forward LeBron James will be suspended one game while Detroit Pistons Forward Isaiah Stewart will be suspended for two games.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reports that James' suspension stems from "recklessly hitting Stewart in the face and initiating an on-court altercation." Meanwhile, Stewart was disciplined for "escalating an on-court altercation by repeatedly and aggressively pursuing (James) in an unsportsmanlike manner."
Moving forward, James will miss Tuesday's game against the New York Knicks while Stewart will miss games against the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks.
Both suspensions stem from an incident that occurred during the third quarter of Sunday's Detroit Pistons-Los Angeles Lakers game. As Pistons Forward Jerami Grant shot a free throw, James and Stewart battled for position near the basket. With the two tangled up, James violently threw his arm and his elbow seemingly hit Stewart in the eye, causing him to bleed. The two players exchanged words and a large amount of pushing and shoving ensued. At several different points, others players attempted to separate the two, but Stewart remained committed to pursuing James. Ultimately, Stewart was pushed into the locker room and both players were ejected from the game.
“I don’t think James is a dirty player, but Stew cut his eye. He felt like he had been cheap-shotted across the brow. I’m not even sure he knew who hit him," Detroit Pistons Head Coach Dwayne Casey told reporters after the game.
“He needs to just keep his head and not get a reputation."
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