Lakers center Jaxson Hayes will miss Los Angeles’s contest on Thursday, Feb. 5 vs. the 76ers after he was handed a one-game suspension without pay from the NBA on Wednesday.
Hayes was found to have pushed Wizards mascot during pre-game introductions when the Lakers traveled to Washington on Jan. 30. That seems like a first for the league.
It’s unclear at this time what prompted Hayes to push the mascot. Hayes was not a starter in the game, which the Lakers won 142–111, so he would’ve been cheering on the rest of his teammates when they were announced.
The Wizards’ mascot is known as “G-Wiz” and is a blue creature of some sort. He’s known to prank the opposing team during games, like many other mascots, but it’s not yet known what happened in the Hayes incident.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/l5eKjuBZLQ
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 4, 2026
Coming off the bench in that game, Hayes scored 10 points and added three rebounds and one assist in 14 minutes.
Hayes is in the slam dunk contest lineup next week, so he’ll be participating fresh off of his suspension.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated