If you're an NBA fan, then you are probably already well aware of what happened between LeBron James and Isaiah Stewart last weekend. During the third quarter of the Sunday night matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons, LeBron swung his arm back while being boxed out and ended up hitting Stewart right in the face. The Pistons' young gun was bleeding profusely and he was understandably upset about it.
After being held back by his teammates, Stewart decided to break free and chase after the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. Stewart got halfway to LeBron before being stopped by more teammates, and even some training staff. Not to mention, LeBron's teammates were also in the way, as Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook were prepared to square up if need be. Eventually, Stewart and LeBron were both ejected from the game, and while heading back to the dressing room, Stewart decided to run away again, as he wanted to find LeBron in the tunnel. In the end, his efforts were all for nothing, as LeBron had already found his way back to the heavily guarded Lakers locker room.
In the aftermath of the altercation, fans and analysts rushed to Twitter where they gave their hot takes on the situation. Many felt as though Stewart had gone a bit overboard with his reaction, while others were calling LeBron a dirty player. On the more extreme end of the coin, you had some trying to compare this to the Malice at the Palace incident, which isn't even comparable in scope. Malice at the Palace involved numerous fights between fans and the players, which is a much different beast than two players simply having a squabble out on the court.
When it came time for the First Takes and Undisputeds of the world to talk about this, we ended up with a lot of pearl-clutching. For instance, Skip Bayless came out and said that he could no longer look at LeBron the same way anymore, as he now knows that he is capable of committing such "heinous" acts out on the court. Stephen A. Smith on First Take was a lot less hysterical about the whole thing, however, he did call for LeBron to be suspended. In the end, that's exactly what happened as LeBron was assessed one game, while Stewart got two. Despite these suspensions, there were some who felt like they should have gotten upwards of five games, while also receiving hefty fines from the league.
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With all of these agendas flying around, it really begs the question, why was this such a big deal? Well, most people will tell you it's because the entire thing was centered around one of the biggest superstars the game has ever seen. Not to mention, Stewart's reaction was one that we had not seen in a very long time. While these reasons are certainly valid, they aren't enough to elicit some of the truly hyperbolic reactions we have seen from the mainstream NBA media.
After all, when you're playing a sport where there is a lot on the line, tempers are going to flare. No grown man wants to be left bleeding in front of thousands of people, especially when the perpetrator is one of the most untouchable men in the entire NBA. With that being said, it is easy to see why Stewart would want to get some sort of justice for what had just happened to him. In his mind, LeBron was going to get away with it, and he needed to do something about it. As for LeBron, he was trying to break free from Stewart's grasp, and he did something that he probably regrets. Unless you've been living an incredibly sheltered life with very little access to television, you know that sometimes, this happens in sports.
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No one ever bats an eye when two hockey players decide to go at it because one team's superstar got hit hard while going for a loose puck. Of course, the culture in basketball and hockey is much different, however, on a purely moral level, no one ever really cares when it happens in the NHL, but god forbid something like that even comes close to happening in the NBA. It's a double standard that many don't seem to recognize, and it is one that can be applied to the LeBron-Stewart situation. This is not to say that both players didn't do anything wrong. Of course, they did. The point being made here is that it's really not the end of the world, and it never will be. Even if LeBron and Stewart had thrown punches, it still wouldn't be that big of a deal. The NBA would make it a big deal, but in the grand scheme of things, it should just be chalked up to the competitive spirit.
When emotions are at an all-time high, things are going to happen and you're not always going to be comfortable with that. Regardless, that's what makes sports great. They are truly unpredictable and they display athletes at their most vulnerable and authentic. What we saw earlier this week was an authentic representation of two athletes battling for position on the court all while showcasing just how much their pride means to them. To discourage that completely would be to strip sports of one of its most foundational elements. Because without passion in sports, what are we really left with?