LeBron Suspended Following On-Court Scuffle
LeBron James and Isaiah Stewart got kicked out of the Lakers vs Pistons game on Sunday night. The Los Angeles Lakers went on to win the ball game 121-116, per ESPN. However, James’ actions seemed to be a bit concerning towards Stewart in the middle of fighting for a rebounding position. Ultimately, the hit led to a stoppage of the game completely, due to the excessive bleeding coming from Stewart’s eye from the hit. The altercation proceeding this event was a bit overwhelming for both fans, coaches, and security to control.
LeBron James was ejected with a flagrant 2 foul on Isaiah Stewart.
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— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) November 22, 2021
Initially, Stewart was whistled for a loss ball foul. However, later on, after they reviewed the play they soon reversed the call. The referees took a look and changed the call to a flagrant two foul which automatically results in an ejection. Stewart was also dealt two technical fouls which resulted in him being ejected as well. Russell Westbrook coming to the aid of his teammate which he’s been known to do historically was rewarded a technical foul also.
The crew chief, Scott Foster, said Westbrook was deemed to be “an escalator and not a peacemaker” which is the reason his actions later resulted in a tech. Foster also said Stewart was assessing two technical fouls for “multiple unsportsmanlike acts during the altercation,” per ESPN.
The Lakers’ Thoughts on the Incident
The ejection was just the second of James’ 19-year career, per sources. His first ever came in 2017, when James played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and hosted the Miami Heat.
“Everyone knows LeBron isn’t dirty,” said Anthony Davis. “When he realized he hit him, he immediately looked back and apologized, saying, ‘Oops, my bad. Didn’t mean to do that.'”
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said Stewart initiated the contact but did not fight or object to James’ ejection. He believed it was justified and a part of the game.
“[James] got elbowed in the ribs by Stewart, which was a foul, and he was just trying to get away from the contact,” Vogel explained. “There was some unintended contact that clearly warranted a flagrant 2.”
LeBron James ended the game with ten points in 21 minutes which extended his double-digit score streak to 1,048 games, which is the best in league history, per ESPN.
Los Angeles Lakers Grow Stronger as a Team
Davis and many others were surprised by Stewart’s reaction. Although, one can see the severeness of the cut left by the altercation with James. Stewart received five stitches after the game.
“I don’t know what he was thinking,” Davis said. “But everyone on our team, from the first player to the last, stood up for each other. We’re here to protect our teammate. In all my 10 years of playing, I’ve never seen someone do that. It’s unacceptable. He accidentally caused a cut above his eye, it wasn’t intentional. And we weren’t going to let him keep attacking our teammate like that. I don’t know what his intentions were, but we weren’t going to let that happen.”
Vogel is saddened by the altercation being the biggest takeaway from the game. He believes this was a legitimate team win and is something to build off going forward for the Lakers.
“To me, it’s one of those things that can change the momentum of your season,” Vogel said.”It was amazing to see teammates come together for a teammate who was ejected in such a strange situation. They showed incredible bravery.”
