Isaiah Stewart of the Detroit Pistons was briefly arrested after allegedly punching Drew Eubanks of the Phoenix Suns during a pre-game confrontation. Police say Stewart was issued a citation and released. While he did not play in the Suns' win, he had already been ruled out due to a pre-existing ankle injury. Eubanks said the incident occurred when he was entering the arena. According to the Suns player, a verbal altercation led to the players being "chest to chest" before Stewart threw a punch.
"The attack on Drew Eubanks was unprovoked, and acts of violence such as this are unacceptable. We unequivocally support Drew, and will continue to work with local law enforcement and the NBA," the Suns said in a statement. However, Pistons coach Monty Williams, who was fired by the Suns last offseason, criticized the organization for weighing in. "The thing is to get all of the information. The NBA will do an investigation. For me to come here and make a statement would be a bit irresponsible. I know the Suns said it was unprovoked; I think that is irresponsible for sure. You really don't know. That did not need to happen. There is a time for the information to be gathered, and then you can make a statement," Williams said.
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Who Are Isaiah Stewart & Drew Eubanks?
Isaiah Stewart was picked in the first round of the 2020 draft by the Blazers before being dealt to the Pistons. A five-star recruit coming out of high school, Stewart had a decent one-and-done season for a mediocre Washington Huskies team. He has steadily grown into an important role player for Detroit, starting 71 games for them last season. However, this is not the first time he has found himself in trouble. In 2021, Stewart served a two-game suspension following an on-court altercation with LeBron James.
Meanwhile, Drew Eubanks is an undrafted success story. After three seasons at Oregon State, Eubanks went undrafted in 2018. However, he impressed in the Summer League and signed a two-way contract with the Spurs. After making little impact under Coach Popp, Eubanks was sent to the Raptors in a trade-and-waive deal. Subsequently, he signed with the Blazers and became an impact bench asset, appearing in 78 games last season. He joined the Suns in the 2023 offseason.
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