Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James doesn’t believe the suspension was given for his involvement in a scuffle with Detroit big man Isaiah Stewart.
James returned to the dominant lineup against Indiana, scoring 39 points along with five rebounds and six assists in a 124-116 OT win.
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After the game, he recounted what happened during the incident, which greatly outraged Stewart.
“It was a free-throw at the free-throw line,” James explained. “His elbows are a bit high, if you watch the movie, that throws me off balance a bit.”
“I tried to swim down his arm and when I swung his arm down he lost his balance and my left hand grazed his face. I knew it, I knew it, I caught it. part of his head. So I went to apologize to him and obviously you guys saw what happened after that. It was definitely by accident.”
Here’s LeBron’s explanation of what he thinks happened during his altercation with Isaiah Stewart. He understands why he was fired, but disagrees with the federation’s decision to suspend him: pic.twitter.com/mu01aLUDa9
– Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) November 25, 2021
Stewart repeatedly tried to track down James, asking multiple officers to hold him back as blood ran down his face. Stewart received a two-match ban for his reaction, while James was sidelined for one game.
The Lakers would have lost that one game without James, 106-100 at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. LeBron doesn’t believe he should miss the contest.
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“I’m definitely not that type of player. I hate to see that, what escalated after that.
“I don’t think it has any effect… I think it warrants an elimination because of what happened after that. Having me in the game, the excitement from the fans, what could happen then, but I don’t. thought it was warranted but the federation made that call.”
Los Angeles rebounded to .500 at 10-10 into the season with a win over the Pacers, as they attempted a slow start to the season. Country star Anthony Davis missed the game against Indiana because of a fever.
Davis will have a night to recuperate before the Lakers take on Sacramento at the STAPLES Center – which begins at 8:30 p.m. ET.
