Dwight Howard is no stranger to physical basketball, but the eight-time NBA All-Star found himself at the center of an ugly few minutes in the BIG3 on Saturday.
The BIG3 is Ice Cube’s 3v3 league, built in 2017 around former NBA players competing in a fast, half-court format through the summer. It has always traded on familiar names and has never wanted for entertainment and a bit of bite.
But that tipped over completely this weekend. A meeting between Miami 305 and the LA Riot turned into a series of fights, drew multiple ejections and ended early, with Howard one of several former NBA stars caught up in it.
Dwight Howard, Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson involved in BIG3 brawls
The game pitted Miami 305 against the LA Riot, and the trouble involved four players who used to ply their trades in the NBA.
Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson, both on Miami 305, were the two ejected. Beasley got into a scuffle with Howard, while Stephenson threw a punch at another veteran, Jordan Crawford, after a hard foul.
Those two ejections left Miami 305 with only two available players, which forced a forfeit and brought the game to an early end.
NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on X that Beasley and Stephenson were each handed a one-game suspension for their next outing following the fights.
Howard is the most decorated name involved. The No. 1 overall pick in 2004, he was an eight-time All-Star, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and an NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, before finishing his playing days in Taiwan.
Beasley carried plenty of hype of his own as the No. 2 overall pick in 2008.
Stephenson built his reputation with the Indiana Pacers, where he became known for getting under opponents’ skin — most famously by blowing in LeBron James’ ear during the 2014 playoffs. He later put up huge scoring numbers in China.
Crawford, the fourth man involved, is a well-traveled guard who suited up for the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics, among others, with a lengthy career abroad.
The intensity will be familiar to anyone who watched the four during their NBA careers. This time, though, it went a step too far.
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