LeBron James is SUSPENDED for one game for the FIRST time in his career after he elbowed Pistons' Isaiah Stewart and sparked a 20-man brawl
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers has been suspended for one game and Detroit's Isaiah Stewart was suspended two games for their roles in an ugly incident during Sunday's Lakers-Pistons game.
The NBA announced the suspensions on Monday, and both will affect games on Tuesday.
James will not play when the Lakers visit Madison Square Garden to play the New York Knicks.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has been suspended for one game after fouling Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, in Detroit.
Blood was streaming down Isaiah Stewart's face after he took a hard blow from LeBron James on Sunday. Stewart will miss two games
Stewart will miss the Pistons' home game against Miami on Tuesday and their game Wednesday at Milwaukee.
James will forfeit about $284,000 in salary, while Stewart will lose about $45,000.
It is the first suspension in the 19-year career of James, who has won four NBA titles with three teams.
The Lakers and Pistons meet again Sunday in Los Angeles.
Earlier on Monday, The Athletic reported that James had sought to contact Stewart by phone after the game to apologize for striking him and to reiterate that it was not done intentionally.
'I'm told LeBron James did try to track down Isaiah Stewart's number post-game to apologize to Stewart again and let him know it was an inadvertent hit to his face,' Athletic reporter Shams Charania said on 'The Pat McAfee Show.'
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was ejected from Sunday's game in Detroit after delivering a brutal blow to the face of Pistons center Isaiah Stewart (pictured), who was left with a gruesome cut over his right eye
James's fist appeared to hit Stewart's face as the Lakers forward spun around while the two battled for rebounding position
James was instantly ejected after his left elbow and fist struck Stewart
Stewart, the NBA said, was disciplined for 'escalating an on-court altercation by repeatedly and aggressively pursuing ... James in an unsportsmanlike manner.'
James merited the suspension 'for recklessly hitting Stewart in the face and initiating an on-court altercation,' the NBA said.
The incident happened in the third quarter as James and Stewart were jostling for position during a free throw. Their arms appeared to get intertwined and James swung his elbow, making contact with Stewart, who quickly had blood streaming from above his eye.
Cooler heads seemed to prevail, for a moment.
Stewart was guided away from the spot where the contact occurred by teammates and coaches, though he appeared to become more incensed along the way.
He then tried to double back and run toward where James was. A number of people again blocked his path and made sure the ugly incident didn't get uglier.
Stewart was assessed two technical fouls, James was assessed a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2, and both players were ejected from the game.
LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers is pictured having been ejected from the game during the third quarter of the game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday
New York Daily News NBA reporter Kristian Winfield seems convinced that LeBron James will be getting suspended
FS1's Skip Bayless - a longtime LeBron James critic - argued on Monday's show that James should get suspended
The question of whether or not James's elbow was intentional will be an important factor in deciding his suspension
One fan argued that James should get a suspensions of at least 20 games for what he saw as a deliberate punch to Stewart
Naturally, many fans have decided that James's elbow to Stewart's face was, indeed, intentional
Fans and pundits did not hesitate to call for James's suspension, which would be his first since his senior year of high school in 2003, when he improperly accepted two replica jerseys valued at $845 in violation of Ohio state amateur rules.
'LeBron needs to be suspended minimum 5 games if we're being honest,' one fan tweeted.
'LeBron should get suspended for punching Beef Stew in the face,' another tweeted, using a nickname for Stewart. 'He clearly did it on purpose. Then he ran off like a baby. This is your Goat [Greatest of All Time] people.'
'Unpopular opinion,' added another. 'LeBron should be suspended for 20 or more games. That MFer just punched Stewart in the face.
Another added: 'Lebron should get suspended for a couple of games there is no way he said that's an accident.'
James walks off the court after being ejected from the game for the hit on Stewart
Head coach Dwane Casey of the Detroit Pistons and Cade Cunningham struggle to hold back Isaiah Stewart after he was struck by LeBron James
Coaches and referees tried in vain to hold Stewart back as he broke free again and again and tried to charge at James and exact his revenge
But not everyone is convinced.
'This type of tangle happens multiple times every game,' tweeted former NBA guard Rex Chapman. '99% of the time you rip away cleanly from a tangle. This time LeBron didn't. He'll likely be suspended. But it's not an intentional shot to the face. Accident [in my opinion].'
FS1 host Chris Broussard also disagreed, arguing that Stewart should get a two-game ban, while James should only be fined: 'I can see why someone would say the elbow was intentional, but LeBron, in 19 years, has never been viewed as a dirty player.'
Piston's coach Dwane Casey shared a similar thought after Sunday's game, saying he does not think James is a 'dirty player.'
What is clear is that James and Stewart had to be separated multiple times as the frantic game announcer ordered fans to remain in their seats and not attempt to join the scrum. (It was in 2004 at the Pistons previous home court where the infamous 'Malice at the Palace ' took place, in which several Indiana Pacers players fought with Detroit fans.)
Footage from Sunday's game shows James slamming Stewart in the face with his left arm and fist as they grappled for position during a free throw.
Stewart drops to the court clutching his face, and James appears to acknowledge the collision, turning toward Stewart with his hand extended in an apparent gesture of apology.
A furious Stewart then charged at James, as teammates rushed to pull the two players apart.
Stewart, bleeding profusely around his right eye, grappled with teammates as he tried again and again to charge at James.
Coaches and referees tried in vain to hold Stewart back as he broke free repeatedly.
Finally, Stewart nodded his head and appeared to agree to head to the locker room, turning to walk toward the tunnel.
But it was a ruse, and Stewart again whirled and charged at James, sprinting up the court as coaches, players and refs hurled themselves at him, clinging to his arms.
Stewart was finally manhandled off the court, and sprinted up the tunnel to the locker room.
Players separate Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, and Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart, far right center, during Sunday's game
A ref and coaches hold back Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart after he was hit
LeBron James looks on as he is ejected from the game during the third quarter of the game against the Detroit Pistons
Both James and Stewart were ejected from the game by referees.
Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook was also given a technical foul in the incident, although he didn't realize it until after the game.
'I got a tech?' Westbrook asked during his post-game press conference. 'Why did I get a tech? I didn't know I got a tech... That's interesting.'
The Lakers won the game 121-116. In a post-game press conference, Lakers star Anthony Davis insisted that James had not intended to strike Stewart.
'Stewart tried to defend LeBron, 'Bron did the same thing. Everyone in the league knows 'Bron not a dirty guy, he didn't mean to hit him. As soon as he did, he looked back at him, told him 'Oh, my bad, I didn't try to do it,'' said Davis.
Davis slammed Stewart for his on-court antics following the blow to the face.
'I've never, in 10 years, see a player try to do that, what he tried to do,' he said.
'It's uncalled for, you got a cut above your eye, accidental, it wasn't like it was on purpose,' added Davis.
Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said after the game that he had spoken to Stewart: 'He was upset for a reason. I don't think James is a dirty player, but again it got them going.'
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