Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart was arrested and charged with assault Wednesday after a pregame incident with Phoenix Suns power forward Drew Eubanks in which Stewart allegedly “sucker punched” Eubanks in the parking lot of Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Stewart was issued a citation by the Phoenix Police Department and subsequently was released.
Eubanks suffered a minor injury from the punch but played in his team’s 116–100 win Wednesday night, recording six points, six rebounds, two steals and one block. Stewart didn’t appear in the game.
When asked about the incident after the game, Eubanks was brief.
“Just walking in, and words were said and got sucker-punched and security stepped in, and that was it,” Eubanks said.
This isn’t Stewart’s first run-in with an opponent. He infamously got into an altercation with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and was ejected in November 2021.
“Clearly you see what he does, how he acts on the court, so it wasn’t surprising,” Eubanks added.