Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall was one of three players ejected on Friday night after a brawl broke out with the Phoenix Suns.
The melee began with 9:02 remaining in the third quarter when Suns center Jusuf Nurkic was whistled for an offensive foul after attempting to back down Daniel Gafford.
As Nurkic turned to walk away, something was said that caught his attention. He and Marshall began jawing before Nurkic mushed Marshall’s face, leading to a retaliatory right hook courtesy of Marshall. The entire situation left Kyrie Irving stunned.
As officials stepped in to break things up, Mavs forward PJ Washington pushed Nurkic to the ground.
Things calmed down from there as Dallas cruised to a 98-89 victory, but the story wasn’t quite over just yet.
After the game, Marshall turned to social media and updated his header on X with a photo of him taking a swing at Nurkic, resting above his bio that reads, “God first.”
Alright, Naji Marshall’s new header is hilarious. pic.twitter.com/cdlE4lImWU
— Zona (@AZSportsZone) December 28, 2024
The irony was not lost on fans.
“God first,” one user wrote. “Left and rights second.”
Many rushed to criticize Marshall for missing the punch, which may explain why he went with that specific photo. In it, he appears to connect with Nurkic, which the announcers alluded to during the broadcast.
Still, that’s probably not the message God would like Marshall to deliver.
