The s**t hit the fan in Charlotte last night in a way we haven't seen on an NBA court in quite some time. It started with Jalen Duren and Moussa Diabaté jawing, then getting tangled up, heads were butted, then a face was pushed, a punch was thrown. The initial kerfuffle sparked up again as Diabaté pushed through the bodies trying to hold him back to make another run at Duren. Then Miles Bridges popped out of nowhere to take a swing at Duren, and it ended with Isaiah Stewart flying off the bench for a brief UFC bout with Bridges.
BENCHES CLEAR IN PISTONS-HORNETS 😲
— ESPN (@espn) February 10, 2026
Moussa Diabate, Miles Bridges, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart were all ejected following the altercation during Pistons-Hornets. pic.twitter.com/VeNSi6vEBR
As you'd expect, NBA fans were fired up on social media and the sentiment coalesced around two popular perspectives — you don't want to mess with Isaiah Stewart and it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if Miles Bridges got popped in the face.
Why you don't want to mess with Isaiah Stewart
If there's one guy in the NBA you don't want to get physical with, it's probably Stewart. He's 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds. As Keerthika Uthayakumar pointed out, he came into this game with "47 career technical fouls, 12 career flagrant fouls & 8 total games missed due to suspension."
Remember, in his second season he got hit by an elbow from LeBron James, and it took about a dozen people to keep him from getting to James.
Hornets Pistons fight got me reminiscing to this moment between Isaiah Stewart and LeBron James pic.twitter.com/psCE67AwOS
— CadeWrld 🇦🇺 (@WrldCade) February 10, 2026
He was arrested (charges were dropped) and suspended three games in 2024 for punching Suns center Drew Eubanks on the loading dock before a game. And then he was suspended for two games last March for being a primary instigator in this on-court ruckus with the Timberwolves.
And Stewart clearly knows his reputation and takes some pride in it:
Isaiah Stewart after getting ejected:
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) February 10, 2026
“You don’t expect me to sit on the bench. The f*ck I got drafted to DETROIT for.” 😭 pic.twitter.com/GQ5ePUIfVx
Stewart came flying in this time to defend teammate Jalen Duren, with whom he has an extremely close relationship. Per The Athletic:
"This is what a brotherhood looks like in Detroit. Stewart and Duren have grown closer and closer with each passing day since the latter became a member of the Pistons during June’s NBA Draft. Stewart, who just started his third season, has taken the NBA’s youngest player under his wing, with no hesitation. When there’s a basketball involved, the two are always together. After practice, if they’re not playing one-on-one, they’re shooting dozens and dozens of jump shots. Their lockers inside Little Caesars Arena are next to one another, which Casey did so that Duren had his most trusted confidant by his side."
But really, it might not have mattered which teammate it was. Stewart is going to stand up for himself and the rest of the Pistons. If you start something, he's more than happy to help finish it.
Why do so many NBA fans hate Miles Bridges?
Most NBA fans are generally disgusted with these kinds of fights and aren't advocating for violence in the game. But more than a few seemed to be flexible on this with Bridges involved. A small sampling:
- From @mempire25: "Miles Bridges trying a sucker punch is very on brand. Would not expect better from him... but surprised he would swing at a man.
It's shameful because violence isn't justice, but Isaiah Stewart has now done more than the commissioner to handle Bridges." - From @humblecore: I’ve seen the video and Isaiah Stewart is innocent.
- From @nathanfogg: "15 seconds, no refs, no security, let me see Miles Bridges get his chance to go one on one with Isaiah Stewart. Just give him 15 seconds, that's all we need."
- From @Dadshammdad: Put Isaiah Stewart in the Hall of Fame. Build him a statue in front of Little Caesars arena. Give him a key to Detroit.
- From @Geestack: "give isaiah stewart the mvp"
- From @Velodus: "It's gonna be ironic if Isaiah Stewart gets a longer suspension for going after Miles Bridges than Miles Bridges got when he did the thing that made everyone root for Stewart in this confrontation."
Several of those comments are alluding to Miles Bridges' history of domestic violence. In 2022, he was arrested for assaulting a former girlfriend in front of the two children he shared with her, eventually charged with one felony count of causing harm to a parent of a child and two felony counts of child abuse. He eventually received three years of probation and served no jail time. Bridges was given a 30-game suspension by the NBA, but since he sat out an entire season as an unsigned free agent while the court case resolved, the league gave him credit for 20 games, and he was only suspended 10 games for the following season.
After he signed a new contract with the Hornets, he apologized "for the pain and embarrassment that I have caused everyone, especially my family." A few months after that apology, he was arrested for violating the protection order issued to his former girlfriend, reportedly throwing pool balls at her car, smashing a window while the children were inside and threatening to withhold child support if she reported the incident to the police. He received no further discipline from the league for this incident.
About a year after that, he responded to users on Twitter that he "Never abused anybody." So, those fans rooting for him to get popped were hoping that Isaiah Stewart could deliver a bit more punishment than the NBA and criminal justice system could.