Despite being off the court for the time being, Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart made headlines on Wednesday night as he was involved in an altercation with Phoenix Suns veteran Drew Eubanks ahead of the Pistons’ matchup against the Suns.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic , Stewart and Eubanks engaged in a verbal altercation that turned physical when Stewart threw a punch. Per the report, the players had to be separated, and there was a police presence at the scene at the Footprint Center.
In the Suns locker room before the game, Eubanks addressed reporters in attendance as the public was made aware of the incident. While Eubanks didn’t go fully in-depth describing the scuffle, he briefed reporters on the altercation, according to PHNX’s Gerald Bourget .
“Basically, we were walking in, words were said, and then got face-to-face, and he just sucker-punched me,” Eubanks told reporters. “Security got in the way.”
The Phoenix veteran noted that the drama stemmed from something basketball-related. Hinting that the reasoning for jawing back and forth was likely trash talk, which led to a heated exchange, Eubanks claimed to be far from surprised about Stewart’s actions that seemed to have gone too far.