The following article first appeared on BasketballNetwork.net:
After the a thrilling overtime win for the Los Angeles Lakers on the road against the Indiana Pacers, LeBron James finally talked about the incident with Isaiah Stewart that caused a lot of noise around NBA.
Following his one-game suspension stemming from the tussle, LeBron came up big against the Pacers, scoring a team-high 39 points and hitting some essential clutch shots in crunch time. Unrelated to the matter, LeBron even got two fans tossed out from the game for apparently saying inappropriate things to him. However, that obviously motivated him to take over the game and hit some tough shots to seal the deal for the Lakers and secure a much-needed win before the holiday.
In a press conference after the victory, LeBron finally shared his thoughts on his altercation with Stewart that shocked the entire NBA community.
“I knew right away I caught some part of his head, so I went over to apologize to him, and obviously, you guys have seen what happened after that," LeBron said. "Definitely accidental, just like the play last night on Russ [Westbrook], accidental hit in the mouth, just like [Domantas] Sabonis played tonight with an accidental hit to the eye.
"I’m definitely not that type of player, and I hate to see what escalated right after that. I didn’t think it warned an ejection because of what happened after that, having me still in the game, excitement from the fans, and what could potentially happen after that. The suspension wasn’t warranted, but the league made that call.”
Here’s LeBron’s explanation of what he thought happened in the scuffle with Isaiah Stewart. He understood why he was ejected, but did not agree with the league’s decision to suspend him: pic.twitter.com/mu01aLUDa9
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) November 25, 2021
The Lakers are currently sitting at No. 9 in a very competitive Western Conference, and with LeBron back in the starting lineup, it will be essential for them to get more wins in the upcoming weeks. Interestingly enough, they are again playing the Pistons on Sunday at home, which will be an exciting matchup because all eyes will be focused on LeBron and Stewart.
Most likely, things will not escalate any more than they already have, but then again, you never know.
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