Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart was arrested Wednesday on assault charges for punching Phoenix Suns center Drew Eubanks in the arena hours before the teams played.
Phoenix police said Stewart was issued a citation and released. Stewart was already on the list due to a sprained left ankle. Eubanks had six points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes in the Suns’ 116-100 win.
Eubanks said before the match that the altercation occurred as he entered the arena. He said an argument ensued and the players stood chest to chest before Stewart threw the punch. Security intervened and Eubanks said he was able to play the game, although police say he suffered a minor injury.
“The attack on Drew Eubanks was unprovoked and acts of violence such as this are unacceptable,” the Suns said in a statement. “We unequivocally support Drew and will continue to work with local law enforcement authorities and the NBA.”
The Pistons said they were aware of the incident.
“We are in the process of gathering information about what happened and what led up to it, and responding to the NBA and local authorities,” the team said.
Pistons coach Monty Williams, who was fired by Phoenix after last season, said he didn’t think the Suns should have made their statement.
“It’s about collecting all the information. The NBA will investigate,” Williams said. “If I came here and made a statement, that would be a bit irresponsible. I know the Suns said it was unprovoked; I certainly find that irresponsible. You really don’t know.
“That didn’t have to happen. There is a time when the information has to be collected and then you can make a statement.â€
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Stewart was involved in an on-court altercation with LeBron James in 2021, resulting in Stewart being suspended for two games and James for one.
“Keep the game first. There is a lot of noise,” Suns star Kevin Durant said. “It’s a shame what happened before the match, it should be a brotherhood. But I also understand, guys get involved in things. We try to avoid that in this competition, hopefully we can get rid of that. We all support Drew.â€
The Pistons are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and their 8-46 record is the worst in the entire NBA.