Isaiah Stewart was once again involved in an altercation when a fight broke out in Monday’s Detroit Pistons vs. Charlotte Hornets game. After the game, Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff shared his feelings regarding Stewart’s involvement.
J.B. Bickerstaff Shares His Thoughts Regarding Isaiah Stewart’s Involvement in a Fight
During the third quarter of Monday’s Pistons-Hornets game, Jalen Duren was fouled by Moussa Diabaté. Duren responded by getting in Diabaté’s face before striking him. This immediately led to a fight between the two, while others stepped in to separate them.
More people would get involved in the fight, though, when Miles Bridges set his sights on Duren. Seeing this, Stewart came off the bench to defend Duren. All four players involved in the fight were later ejected, and the game proceeded without them.
Since Stewart was on the bench when the altercation started, he’s likely to receive steeper sanctions. This also isn’t the first time that Stewart lost his cool in the middle of a game, and that history will lead to a larger fine.
With his history in mind, Bickerstaff discussed his feelings about Stewart’s actions.
“We don’t want to see it get to that point,” Bickerstaff said. “But, when you go back and watch the film, they ran multiple guys at [Duren]. Duren and Stewart consider themselves to be brothers. If you run two guys at one guy, and you’ve already crossed the line, human instinct tells him to protect his little brother.”
Bickerstaff emphasized that he hated seeing Stewart get involved in an altercation. However, he also stood by his guys and said that it wasn’t them who crossed the line.
JB on Stew getting involved: “Duren and Stew consider themselves to be brothers. If you run two guys at one guy and you’ve already crossed the line, human instinct tells him to protect his little brother.” pic.twitter.com/2nI0Bjoe5G
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) February 10, 2026
Stewart’s reputation was earned in 2021 when he infamously repeatedly charged at LeBron James while multiple people tried to stop him. This resulted in a two-game suspension and a steep $45,000 fine.
In 2024, he was suspended for three games for punching Drew Eubanks, who was playing for the Phoenix Suns at the time. That altercation happened before the game and resulted in a fine of over $100,000. He was also reportedly arrested for assault and issued a citation before being released.
In April 2025, he was again suspended for two games for his role in an altercation during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This resulted in a fine of over $200,000. The amount provided regarding the fines he received for his suspensions is according to “Spotrac.”
He was given another suspension earlier that same year for his sixth flagrant foul, bringing his total to four suspensions. In total, he’s been suspended for eight games.
