The NBA has suspended Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart for seven games after he left the bench, entered an on-court brawl and threw punches during Monday’s contest against the Charlotte Hornets, the league announced Wednesday.
Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate of the Hornets each received four-game bans for fighting and escalating the altercation, while Detroit center Jalen Duren was docked two games for initiating the incident and throwing punches.
The altercation
The confrontation erupted with a little more than seven minutes remaining in the third quarter in Charlotte. After Duren took an inbound pass, drove the lane and was fouled hard by Diabate, the two players went head-to-head. Duren then shoved Diabate in the face, sparking a melee that stretched for more than 30 seconds.
Bridges shoved Duren before Diabate tried to land a punch that was blocked by teammate Tobias Harris. Moments later, Bridges swung at Duren, prompting Stewart—who had been on the bench—to charge onto the floor and lock up Bridges as additional punches were thrown.
Disciplinary history cited
Stewart’s penalty was the harshest because of what the league called a “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.” Previous sanctions include:
- Two games for confronting LeBron James (Nov. 2021)
- Three games for punching Drew Eubanks (Feb. 2024)
- Two games for a scuffle with Minnesota (Mar. 2025)
- An automatic one-game ban after accruing six flagrant-foul points (Jan. 2025)
Games missed
Duren begins his suspension Wednesday in Toronto and will also sit the Pistons’ first game after the All-Star break in New York, though he remains eligible to participate in Sunday’s All-Star Game. Stewart will miss those two contests plus five additional games, returning March 3 in Cleveland. Reserve big man Paul Reed is expected to see increased minutes for Detroit.
Bridges and Diabate will sit out Wednesday’s home game against Atlanta as well as post-break matchups with Houston (Feb. 19), Cleveland (Feb. 20) and Washington (Feb. 22).
Financial impact
Each player will forfeit 1/145th of his 2025-26 salary for every game missed: $724,138 for Stewart, $689,655 for Bridges, $89,423 for Duren and $62,641 for Diabate.
Source: HoopsRumors
