Chaos erupted before the Pistons-Suns game Wednesday, resulting in the arrest of Detroit's Isaiah Stewart, 22, who allegedly threw a punch at Phoenix Suns center Drew Eubanks, 27, in a parking lot scuffle, Phoenix police confirmed.
The altercation took place near 4:45 p.m. at the Footprint Center, with police stating that "they learned there was an argument between both players as they arrived at the arena, witnesses said the argument escalated when they saw Stewart punch Eubanks, causing a minor injury," according to a release, an incident that was brought to a halt by security personnel, who intervened to separate the two men. Stewart, on the sidelines since late January due to an ankle injury, was arrested for assault, handed a citation, and let go, as per NBC News.
The Suns, upset by the incident they called "unprovoked," voiced their stance that "acts of violence such as this are unacceptable," and the team is "unequivocally" supporting Eubanks, stating in a release obtained by 12Sports, "We will continue to work with local law enforcement and the NBA."
Meanwhile, despite the brawl Stewart found himself in, Eubanks shook off the incident to play in Wednesday night's match where the Suns triumphed over the Pistons 116-100. Stewart's history of on-court clashes harking back to a reputed run-in with LeBron James in 2021, after which the Pistons player faced a two-game suspension, James, a one-game time-out shows a pattern that the NBA spokesperson said they'll be reviewing, yet the full details of what sparked the fiery exchange remain shadowed as the Pistons acknowledged awareness of the altercation and are gathering further particulars responding to the NBA and local authorities, which they relayed in a statement.
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