BIG3’s season eight got off to a fighting start when two first-time league players, Dwight Howard and Lance Stephenson, engaged in fisticuffs that landed both players in the stands.
On the debut weekend of the BIG3 3-on-3 professional league, former NBA players Howard and Stephenson got into a fight on the basketball court, leading to both players being ejected from the contest.
The altercation took place during the game between Howard’s Los Angeles Riots team and Stephenson’s Miami 305 squad. Both athletes were playing in their first BIG3 contest before they scuffled on the hardwood floor. While both players were under the basket, a previous play caused the friction between the two. Howard pushed Stephenson’s elbow as the 305 player retaliated and went after Howard.
Howard turned back and grabbed Stephenson by the back of his head as the two tussled under the basket, leading to the media row where both men fell in the midst of the photographers. Players from both teams and officials stepped in to break up the fight and both players were thrown out of the game.
Dwight Howard and Lance Stephenson get ejected for a scuffle in their @TheBIG3 debuts
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— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 14, 2025
Complex reported that Stephenson was involved in a little scuffle earlier in the game when he and Howard’s teammate, Jamal Crawford, got into it during play. Stephenson threw a punch at Crawford’s face after being hit, but no fight took place. Neither player was penalized for their actions.
The 305 beat the Riots by a score of 50-44.
The revamped league has placed the eight BIG3 teams in cities for the first time. The cities that own franchises include Detroit, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami. With a partnership with CBS as the producers of the games, league contests started airing on VICE Sports, and they will air 14 games on eight dates through Aug. 9.
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