Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart has been suspended one game for his sixth flagrant foul point of the season.
Stewart was ejected with 8:45 remaining in the second quarter of the Pistons’ 133-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
A Flagrant 1 foul is worth one point and a Flagrant 2 foul is worth two points. Stewart entered the game with four flagrant foul points to his name.
Stewart has also been fined $50,000 for making inappropriate and objectionable gestures after being ejected. He will serve his suspension when the Pistons host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
Stewart vs. Bryant
The incident in question came with the Pacers leading 50-36 in the second quarter.
Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith pulled up for a floater from the left baseline, when Stewart sized up Thomas Bryant for a boxout but then hit him with a forearm in the chest.
Bryant initially laid on the ground to collect his breath for a brief moment, before rising up to try and have a go at Stewart. He had to be restrained by both Nesmith and T.J. McConnell.
As the official announced the flagrant foul and ejection verdict, Stewart gestured the hand sign of a gun and repeatedly pointed toward Bryant as if asking for a fight.
Isaiah Stewart was ejected from Pistons-Pacers after shoving Thomas Bryant. pic.twitter.com/y28vkYjaPL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 30, 2025
Stewart Struggling To Keep Cool
Despite making some notable contributions on the court for the Pistons this season, Stewart can’t seem to get out of his own way when it comes to his anger.
The most infamous incident he was involved in came in 2021, when he looked very intent on getting into a fight with LeBron James.
Former NBA star Dwight Howard recently referenced that incident when making an appearance on the ‘7PM in Brooklyn’ podcast, suggesting Stewart might be better suited playing in the NFL for the Detroit Lions.
Dwight Howard believes Isaiah Stewart isn’t playing the right sport 😂
“Isaiah Stewart need to go play for the Lions … put him a helmet on.” pic.twitter.com/DlDM3tVeUb
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) January 30, 2025
Watching Stewart lose his composure has become the norm since that occasion, and it’s a reputation probably better suited to how the NBA operated three or four decades ago.
