Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart returned from his two-game suspension on Friday after his confrontation with LeBron James. That also gave Stewart the opportunity to discuss the wild scene for the first time.
Stewart was struck in the mouth by James while the two were competing for a rebound during Sunday night’s game in Detroit. Stewart was left bleeding, and was so furious that he had to be held back from taking on James and virtually all of the Lakers (video here).
Stewart didn’t actually have much to say about the incident with James on Friday. The second-year center said it would be the last time he addressed it, added that he felt James’ shot was intentional, and said he would not let the incident define him.
For what it’s worth, James apparently wanted to apologize to Stewart after the game. It doesn’t sound like Stewart is all that eager to hear it.
Stewart seems to be developing a bit of a reputation in some circles. That will fade in time as long as he lets his play do the talking and doesn’t wind up involved in more altercations like this.
Social media has christened LeBron James with a new nickname after what went down in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
During overtime of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-116 victory over the Indiana Pacers, James pointed out two fans who were sitting courtside and asked referee Rodney Mott to kick them out. Mott relayed the message to arena security, and the fans were promptly ejected.
Take a look at the video (but be beware of some bad language).
Twitter hilariously bestowed the nickname of “LeSnitch” on James for snitching on the fans and even got “LeSnitch” trending on the platform. Funny jokes and memes about the incident ensued.
James briefly addressed the incident after the game, hinting that the fans said things that “they should never say to a player.”
The four-time MVP James was acting disrespectfully to the home crowd even before the incident in overtime, so it is worth wondering just how long the Pacers fans were on James’ case during the game. At the end of the day though, everybody won. James’ Lakers got the victory, the ejected fans still got to see a full 50 minutes of play before getting booted, and everybody else got a bunch of great “LeSnitch” jokes to laugh about on Thanksgiving Eve.
Indiana Pacers announcer Quinn Buckner was not happy with LeBron James over a celebration the Los Angeles Lakers star did on Wednesday.
James scored 39 points in his Lakers’ 124-116 overtime win over the Pacers. James made five three-pointers in the game, including some big ones late. After sinking a three to make it a 110-104 game late in the fourth, James broke out the “Big Balls Dance” for a celebration.
Buckner did not appreciate James’ gesture.
“He needs to get a warning about that behavior, I’m sorry,” Buckner said of LeBron. “There’s only so much craziness you can take.”
The NBA has made clear that they do not want players doing the “Big Balls Dance.” One player recently was fined for doing it.
Will the league penalize James as Buckner suggests? That remains to be seen.
LeBron James claimed a “W” on Wednesday and may be claiming a fine on Thursday.
James returned from the 1-game suspension he served on Tuesday to play 43 minutes in his Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-116 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers. James shot 5/12 on threes and came up with some big shots for his squad during his 39-point game.
After putting his team up 110-104 with a huge 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, LeBron did the “Big Balls Dance” to celebrate. You can see him do it around 20 seconds into the video.
The dance is more clear in this video:
James also busted out the “silencer” celebration after a 3-pointer in overtime.
James was definitely feeling it on Wednesday night. But the league might not be too happy. They have a firm anti-Big Balls Dance policy and are likely to fine him $25,000 for doing it.
LeBron James was suspended one game for smacking Isaiah Stewart in the face during Sunday night’s Los Angeles Lakers-Detroit Pistons game. His hard shot at Stewart caused his opponent to bleed and then go crazy on the Lakers. Both players were ejected for their actions.
Most people who watched the incident knew right away that James would be suspended for his harsh and unnecessary blow to Stewart’s face. One person who felt otherwise was Anthony Davis.
The Lakers big man said on Tuesday that he was surprised James got suspended. Davis didn’t view James’ actions as anything unusual.
“The report came out and said his hit to the face caused the incident, which is weird because he can’t control how a guy is going to react. Guys get hit in the face all the time,” Davis said.
If Davis thinks that James’ smack to the face of Stewart was nothing out of the ordinary, he should watch the replay. James took a vicious shot at Stewart that the league called “reckless.” Stewart also wouldn’t have reacted the way he did if the shot from James weren’t significant.
Playing without James on Tuesday, the Lakers lost 106-100 to the Knicks. They are now 9-10.
Photo: Dec 18, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) against the Phoenix Suns during a preseason game at Phoenix Suns Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Kyle Kuzma went viral on Monday night for wearing one of the most ridiculous pregame outfits you will ever see, and fans weren’t the only ones who roasted the Washington Wizards star. When the blue checkmarks started coming for Kuzma, he had to defend himself.
Kuzma wore an oversized pink sweater prior to Washington’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. The sleeves were so long they nearly touched the floor. He was immediately torn to shreds on Instagram, and LeBron James and other NBA players got in on the fun. Kuzma responded by saying the sweater was “fire” and that he had to keep warm.
Those comments weren’t quite as good as all the hilarious memes we saw, but they were pretty great.
Kuzma scored 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting in the Wizards’ 109-103 loss to Charlotte. The sweater may have kept it warm, but it doesn’t seem like it was good luck.
LeBron James will sit out one game over his altercation with Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart on Sunday. It’s never great for the Los Angeles Lakers to be without LeBron, but there is definitely a silver lining to this one.
James was suspended without pay for one game, meaning the Lakers won’t owe him a check for his missed game. That also means the Lakers will save over $500,000 against their luxury tax bill, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
That’s not huge savings in the grand scheme of things, as the Lakers face a luxury tax bill just shy of $46 million, according to Spotrac. Still, every little bit helps.
Still, the finances are a secondary consideration here. The Lakers want James on the court, not suspended. That’s part of why so many guys were looking out for him while Stewart was on the prowl.
The NBA on Monday announced the discipline for the LeBron James-Isaiah Stewart incident.
The NBA suspended James one game and Stewart was suspended two games.
In its press release announcing the discipline, the league gave its reasoning for the penalties. James was suspended “for recklessly hitting Stewart in the face and initiating an on-court altercation.”
Stewart was suspended two games for “escalating an on-court altercation by repeatedly and aggressively pursuing … James in an an unsportsmanlike manner.”
The ejection marked the second of James’ career. He will serve his suspension during the Lakers’ game against the Knicks on Tuesday. Stewart will serve his suspension during the Pistons’ games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
LeBron James delivered a blow to the face of Isaiah Stewart on Sunday night that left the Detroit Pistons big man bloody, but the four-time NBA MVP insists there was no intention behind the ugly play.
James was getting boxed out by Stewart and struggling for position on a free throw attempt in the third quarter. His frustration appeared to get the best of him, and he drilled Stewart in the face (video here).
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic revealed that LeBron tried to track down Stewart’s phone number after the game so he could apologize.
“I’m told LeBron James has made clear, whether it was on the court or postgame, that that was an inadvertent hit to Isaiah Stewart, that he didn’t mean to do it and it was not intentional. … I’m told LeBron James did try to track Isaiah Stewart’s number down postgame to apologize to Stewart again and let him know it was an inadvertent hit to his face,” Charania said.
Charania seems to believe that the punch was inadvertent. LeBron probably didn’t mean to cause so much damage, but it certainly looked like he intentionally swung in Stewart’s direction because he was aggravated. Both James and Stewart were ejected and could be facing further discipline from the NBA.
It’s fair to wonder if Stewart would have been in the mood for an apology. He was so irate after the play that he broke away from teammates who were trying to restrain him. Some thought he was hunting King James, but nothing came of it.
The scene was certainly an ugly one. It will now be up to the NBA to determine how inadvertent LeBron’s swing was.
Carmelo Anthony has been involved in plenty of dust-ups during his career (see: 2006 Nuggets-Knicks brawl). Thus, what he saw on Sunday against Detroit did not faze him much at all.
A new angle of Anthony after LeBron James’ incident with Pistons center Isaiah Stewart is going viral this week. In the video, which shot from behind the Los Angeles Lakers bench and posted by Instagram user Timmy Allos, Anthony is talking about Stewart to referee Phenizee Ransom.
“He’s not coming this way,” Anthony says of Stewart, an apparent reference to Stewart supposedly going into the tunnel to get back at James.
Anthony then starts yelling at Pistons guard Cory Joseph, who had made his way to the Lakers bench. “Why are you over here?” Anthony angrily asks.
The video of Anthony went viral and led to some more great reactions.
The 37-year-old Anthony sure did seem like he was a lot more willing to throw down than his Banana Boat bro James was. If there’s one thing that we’ve learned over the years, it’s that you definitely want Anthony on your side when the stuff hits the fan.
Photo: Nov 27, 2019; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers power forward Carmelo Anthony (00) warms up prior to tip off against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
