Phoenix police set court date this weekend after Isaiah Stewart’s assault on Drew Eubanks

Last week, Isaiah Stewart was arrested after punching opponent Drew Eubanks before a Pistons vs. Suns matchup in Phoenix. The State’s police later released the big man after being issued a citation for a misdemeanor assault, but now must face a court date this February 23. 

The Phoenix Police Department issued a statement about this incident. “Detectives are investigating an assault that happened late this afternoon between two professional basketball players while in the parking tunnel of the arena in downtown Phoenix,” it reads.

The law enforcement explained how around 4:45pm on February 14, their staff was working in a security capacity during the Suns home match at Footprint Arena when they first received the call about the brawl between the two athletes inside the arena’s parking lot.

Isaiah Stewart’s Phoenix court date for the altercation with Drew Eubanks has been set to Feb 23, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/UbVdE4mnPT

— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) February 19, 2024

The statements says that “when the officers arrived, they were directed by security to the players involved. The players were identified as 27-year-old Drew Eubanks and 22-year-old Isaiah Stewart.” The officers then spoke to both players while several people witnessed the altercation, who say that the argument escalated when the Detroit center first threw a punch.

“Both men were separated by security which ended the fight,” said the Phoenix police. “Detectives responded to investigate the incident and collect evidence. Stewart was arrested for assault and issued a citation and released. The investigation remains active.”

Fortunately for the Pistons, they don’t have a game scheduled on February 23, but do have a match against the Indiana Pacers the night before, and then a home game against the Orlando Magic the evening after Stewart’s court date.

The Detroit center hasn’t played since January 28 due to an ankle injury, and his return is still uncertain despite his legal issues. NBA insider Duane Rankin had reported last week that Eubanks admitted they exchanged words until his rival sucker punched him.

Comments from both teams have arisen after the incident was first reported by the press, as each has sided with their own players

Monty Williams, the current Detroit coach who was fired by the Suns last season, believes that his former club shouldn’t have commented on the matter with a statement before letting the authorities understand what happened.

“The thing is to get all of the information. The NBA will do an investigation,” he claimed. “For me to come here and make a statement would be a bit irresponsible. I know the Suns said it was unprovoked; I think that is irresponsible for sure. You really don’t know.

“That did not need to happen. There is a time for the information to be gathered, and then you can make a statement.”

Phoenix star Kevin Durant also voiced his opinion after his team beat the Pistons last week, but he made sure to show his support for his teammate as he expects everyone to move on as quickly as possible.

“Keep the game first. There’s a lot of noise,” KD shared postgame. “It’s unfortunate what happened before the game, it’s supposed to be a brotherhood. But I also understand, dudes get into stuff. We try to avoid that in this league, hopefully we can move on from it. We all support Drew.”