Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart arrested for assault after punching Suns’ Eubanks prior to game

Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart was arrested Wednesday for assault for punching Phoenix Suns center Drew Eubanks at the arena hours before the game was played, The Associated Press reported.

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Stewart was issued a citation and released from custody, according to Phoenix police.

Eubanks said that the altercation happened before the game in Phoenix as the two were coming into the arena. An argument started before the punch was thrown, according to Eubanks.

Arena security intervened to stop the altercation, according to the AP. Eubanks was slightly injured but said he was fine for the game.

Eubanks scored six points, having six rebounds, two steals and one block in Phoenix’s 116–100 win. Stewart didn’t play in the game, according to Sports Illustrated.

When asked about the incident after the game, Eubanks told The Arizona Republic he was, “Just walking in, and words were said and got sucker-punched and security stepped in, and that was it.”

The Suns issued a statement on the incident.

“The attack on Drew Eubanks was unprovoked, and acts of violence such as this are unacceptable,” according to the statement. “We unequivocally support Drew, and will continue to work with local law enforcement and the NBA.”

According to the Pistons organization, they were aware of the incident, according to the AP.

“We are in the process of gathering information about what happened and what provoked it, and responding to the NBA and local authorities,” the team said.

It is not the first time Stewart has had an altercation with an opponent. Stewart was involved in an on-court altercation with the Lakers’ LeBron James in 2021 that saw Stewart suspended for two games and James for one, the AP said.

“You keep the game first,” Suns superstar Kevin Durant said. “A lot of noise around our game, a lot of stuff that comes with being an NBA player. You keep the main thing the main thing and all that stuff will fade away.

“It’s unfortunate what happened before the game. It’s supposed to be a brotherhood, but also understand dudes get into stuff and stuff may happen. You try to avoid that in this league, but stuff happens. Hopefully, we can move on from it. We’re going to support Drew. We’ve got Drew’s back. He’ll move past it,” Durant said.

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