Isaiah Stewart
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Isaiah Stewart serves as the enforcer for the Detroit Pistons.
It was a wild night at the Spectrum Center on Monday night after four players, including Isaiah Stewart, were ejected from the game because of a massive brawl.
Detroit Pistons‘ coach J.B. Bickerstaff shared his thoughts on the fight against the Charlotte Hornets after their 110-104 win. Bickerstaff defended Stewart and Jalen Duren, who were involved in a melee with Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate in the third quarter.
“You see it one way, I see it another way,” Bickerstaff said. “Obviously, and I repeat, we don’t want it to get to that point. But when you go back and watch the film, they ran multiple guys at JD. JD and Stew consider themselves to be brothers, and if you run two guys at one guy, you’ve already crossed the line. Human instinct tells him to protect his little brother.”
Stewart was on the bench when the fight between Duren and Diabate started. He stepped on the court after Bridges followed Duren at center court and threw a punch. Stewart got Bridges into some type of headlock before referees, coaches and security were able to separate them.
Stewart Could Receive Lengthy Suspension
The NBA is expected to hand out hefty fines and possible multi-game suspensions for all four players ejected in the Detroit Pistons-Charlotte Hornets brawl.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks opined that Isaiah Stewart will likely receive the harshest punishment from the league due to his history. Stewart also left the bench to enter a court during a fight, which is an automatic one-game suspension.
“We aren’t going to see Isaiah Stewart for a very long time,” Marks tweeted. “Repeater offender status will certainly come into play.”
The Detroit Free Press recapped Stewart’s history of fighting since entering the NBA in 2020 as the No. 16 pick. He first came into prominence for trying to go after LeBron James in November 2021. He was suspended for two games after seeing red following an errant elbow from the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.
Stewart was then suspended for three games in February 2024 after he punched then-Phoenix Suns big man Drew Eubanks outside the Mortgage Matchup Center. His most recent suspension was in January 2025, when he shoved Thomas Bryant, who was with the Indiana Pacers at the time.
In addition to fights, “Beef Stew” has had some sort of altercation with players like Bobby Portis, Jaylen Brown, Brandon Miller and Marcus Smart.
Why Did Stewart Leave The Bench?
Cameras caught Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren walking back to the locker room after they got ejected. Stewart was talking to a Pistons assistant coach, explaining why he left the team’s bench and fought with Miles Bridges.
“You do not expect me to stay on the bench,” Stewart said. “F**k that s**t. The f**k I was drafted to Detroit for.”
If Stewart and Duren miss time due to suspension, the Pistons are going to expect more from players like Paul Reed and Bobi Klintman. They have one more game against the Toronto Raptors before the All-Star break. They will resume the season on February 19 versus the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.