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Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis says he was surprised by the NBA’s decision to suspend LeBron James for his altercation with Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart on Sunday.
“I was surprised. I mean, I didn’t think he would get suspended,” Davis told reporters Tuesday. “I don’t think anyone thought he was going to be suspended, to be honest. … It was strange. But there’s nothing we can do about it.”
A brawl broke out during the third quarter of Sunday’s Lakers-Pistons game after James hit Stewart in the face while fighting for a rebound after a couple of foul shots from Jerami Grant.
Stewart fell to the floor, got up and confronted James immediately after being struck, bloody face and all. Both teams tried to separate the two, but Stewart charged back toward James and the Lakers multiple times before being forced to the locker room.
James ended up getting ejected for the foul (flagrant 2), while Stewart was ejected for trying to fight the four-time NBA champion. It was just the second ejection of James’ career.
James had also never been suspended before Sunday’s incident.
After Sunday’s game, James reportedly tried to reach out and apologize to Stewart for hitting him in the face and to let him know it was an accident. To this point, it’s unclear if James has been able to successfully contact Stewart.
The Lakers dropped Tuesday’s game to the New York Knicks 106-100 and are now 9-10 on the season. James’ absence has had a negative impact on the team this year, too. In games that the 36-year-old has been active, the Lakers are 5-3. When he’s out of the lineup, they are 4-7.
In addition to his suspension, James also missed eight games between Nov. 4 and Nov. 17 because of an abdominal injury.
James is eligible to return to the Lakers’ lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.
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