Isaiah Stewart got ejected in the first half of the Detroit Pistons vs. Indiana Pacers game on January 29, 2025.
Detriot Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart recently made headlines after a dramatic predicament involving Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant.
During the match, Stewart shoved Bryant, knocking him to the floor. While being escorted off the court, he reportedly made a gun-like gesture toward his opponent team, the Indiana Pacers. He then gestured toward the audience.
The Referees Confirmed Isaiah Stewart’s Intense Shoulder Bump Foul As Flagrant-2!
Superstars, rivalries, incredible dunks, and last-minute drama in the NBA keep fans on the edge of their seats.
Whether it is a LeBron chase-down block, a Steph Curry deep three, or a Giannis coast-to-coast slam, the NBA is where legends emerge, and each match feels like a theatrical movie.
Similarly, the January 29 Pistons vs. Pacers game had its fair share of intense drama.
During the first half of the game, with 8:45 left in the second quarter, Pistons player Isaiah Stewart shoved Pacers center Thomas Bryant to the ground with an intense shoulder bump, knocking him to the floor.
Referees instantly called the foul and ordered Stewart to his bench before an enraged Bryant could rise.
While this made Bryant fume in rage, his teammates had to momentarily hold him back as referees evaluated the play for a foul.
Soon, the referees confirmed the foul as a Flagrant-2, making it his second technical of the night after they whistled him and veteran Pacers forward James Johnson for techs during the first quarter.
After Stewart faced the ejection, he had to leave the game in barely eight minutes.
As he walked off the floor, he pointed two fingers at the Pacers bench and then toward the crowd, making a gun-like hand signal. He also displayed his jersey to fans near the tunnels.
On his way back to the locker room after being ejected, Isaiah Stewart “air shoots” towards the Pacers bench. pic.twitter.com/BPNZC9Lc3N
— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) January 30, 2025
After the ref delivered the flagrant-2 call, fans waved goodbye to Stewart, and Bryant appeared to make a similar gesture.
Furthermore, there is footage showing Stewart exiting the court and gesturing to the audience as he walks to the locker room.
According To Some Reports, The Two Players Had A Feud Before The Match!
According to some sources, Stewart and Bryant were trash-talking earlier in the game.
“It wasn’t no malice or anything crazy like that. It was just competitive talk. It’s a team that’s on the rise, a team that we’re gonna see in the future. It was just good-spirited stuff, man. I think that’s the beauty of this game. You go out there and compete and you talk a little bit and you go out and back it up too.”
Myles Turner
Hence, this might imply that the two players had a falling out beforehand, leading to an erratic scenario.
Postgame, Stewart told the reporters:
“A lot of talk, a lot of words — I know that’s what opponents are going to do because that’s all they have, is words. I slipped up, fell for the trap, and I let my teammates down. … I have to be better at not letting those words allow me to affect the team. I know my squad could have used me out there tonight, and going forward, all they got for me is words. They don’t have anything else.”
Isaiah Stewart
However, Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff has a different stance. He believed Stewart had the right to defend himself with the incoming volume of slanders from the Pacers’ side.
“There are things that happen on the basketball court that you have to deal with, and then there are certain things that are said to you that are no longer about basketball. When it crosses that line like it did tonight, you should be able to stand up for yourself.”
J.B. Bickerstaff
Hence, this clash would add more fuel to the fire as the two team’s rivalry began last year and has carried into this season.
The two teams battled a tight game earlier this month, with the Pistons unable to pull off a comeback after getting within seven points.
However, this is not the first time the Pistons forward has made headlines for such erratic behavior.
In November 2021, he was involved in an infamous altercation with LeBron James. James unintentionally hit Stewart in the face while trying a box-out, causing him to bleed profusely.
However, Stewart became agitated and attempted to charge at LeBron, prompting interference from teammates and coaches to prevent further escalation.
While Stewart received a two-game suspension for attempting to escalate the situation, Lebron received a one-game suspension for causing the bloodied injury by hitting Stewart in the face with an elbow.
However, James’ suspension infuriated many people because it was only “an accident.”
“It’s unfortunate. We all know that LeBron’s one of the classiest guys in the league and plays the game the right way at all times. The league has their decision to make. It’s really 100% out of our control, so it doesn’t really matter what we think about it. He wanted to play. I don’t really want to get into it more than that.”
Coach Frank Vogel
“I don’t think anyone thought he was going to be suspended, to be honest. … It was an accident. I mean, he accidentally hit [Stewart] in the face. But I guess the report came out that his hit to the face caused an incident, which is weird because he can’t control how a guy’s gonna react. I mean, guys get hit in the face all the time, and we’re saying that caused the incident. I get hit in my face probably more than anyone, and if I go off and do all that, the other guy who hit me in the face is gonna get suspended as well? It was strange. But there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Anthony Davis
Therefore, Isaiah Stewart has earned a reputation as a hot-headed and aggressive competitor in the league.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Isaiah Stewart’s father, Dela Stewart, emigrated to the United States from Jamaica in the early 1970s for farm work.
- His paternal Jamaican fisherman and farmer grandfather stood 6 feet 9 inches.
- Stewart wears the number 33 jersey to pay homage to the Jamaican former NBA player Patrick Ewing.
- Growing up, he also played soccer and boxing.
