Detroit Pistons centre Isaiah Stewart was arrested for assault after punching Phoenix Suns player Drew Eubanks hours before their teams played each other on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
Stewart was out with a sprained ankle but punched Eubanks in the face at the Footprint Center, The Athletic reported, citing a league source as saying that Stewart and Eubanks were chest-to-chest before Stewart connected to Eubanks’ lip and police intervened.
Phoenix police said Stewart, who played in the Suns’ 116-100 home win, was issued with a citation and released. The NBA is reportedly gathering and reviewing footage of the altercation.
“The attack on Drew Eubanks was unprovoked, and acts of violence such as this are unacceptable,” the Suns said in a statement after the game.
“We unequivocally support Drew and will continue to work with local law enforcement and the NBA.”
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A Pistons statement said: “We are in the process of gathering information about what happened and what provoked it, and responding to the NBA and local authorities.”
NBA incident ‘unfortunate’ – Kevin Durant
“It was unfortunate what happened before the game,” Suns forward Kevin Durant said afterwards. “It’s supposed to be a brotherhood.
“Stuff may happen but we try to avoid that in this league. Hopefully we can move on from it. We all support Drew and have got Drew’s back.”
Stewart is in his fourth season with the Suns, playing in 35 matches during the current campaign but missing the last seven through his ankle issue.
He was involved in an incident in 2021 with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021 when he attempted to confront opposition players, including LeBron James, after being bloodied while competing for a rebound.
Veteran Durant led the way in his side’s win, scoring 25 points – seven more than any other player on either side.
Former San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers centre Eubanks, who joined the Suns in July, contributed six points in the game.
