November 22, (THEWILL) – LeBron James reportedly sought to apologise to Detroit Pistons centre Isaiah Stewart for punching him in the face during Sunday’s game that the LA Lakers won 121-116.
“I’m told LeBron James did try to track down Isaiah Stewart’s number postgame to apologise to Stewart again and let him know it was an inadvertent hit,” Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported.
When the two were battling for position on a free throw in the third quarter, James smacked Stewart in the face with a clinched hand. Stewart, enraged, leapt to his feet and attempted to charge at James, but was stopped by many members of both teams.
Stewart’s wound was bleeding, and he required eight stitches to close it. James and Stewart were both kicked out of the game.
The NBA league office is evaluating the situation, according to Charania, and will likely make a decision on any additional potential penalty later Monday or Tuesday. Dwane Casey, the Pistons’ coach, expressed his optimism that Stewart would not face more discipline and that LeBron is not a dirty player.
“His eye got cracked all the way open,” Casey said of Stewart’s wound later. “He was upset for a reason. I don’t think that James is a dirty player, but it got them going instead of continuing the momentum that we had.”
The Lakers were down 78-66 at the time of the incident, but went on to win the Sunday game by five points.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
