Dwight Howard and Lance Stephenson’s BIG3 Debut Went Wild — You Have to See What Happened Behind the Basket!
When BIG3 Became a Boxing Ring
I still remember tuning into the BIG3 opener, expecting some solid nostalgia. I thought I’d see a few veteran plays, old-school passing, maybe a fadeaway here and there. But what happened next… man, it felt like watching two boxers trade blows in the ring.
The game was Miami 305 vs. LA Riot, featuring Lance Stephenson and Dwight Howard, both making their league debuts after long NBA careers. The energy in the gym was electric—people were hyped just to see these guys lace up again. The atmosphere was electric, almost like a high-stakes playoff game.
As I sipped my drink and settled into the couch, I noticed some early tension. Stephenson got into it earlier with Jordan Crawford, pumping a fist when things got heated (but nobody got ejected for that one). That just set the tone.
Then came the big moment.
Midway through the game, Stephenson appeared to elbow Howard in the chest. You could feel the tension crackle. On the next play, their eyes locked. Stephenson raised a fist, and Howard didn’t flinch—he shoved it away. From there? It was madness.
They didn’t just shove. They grappled. They tumbled. And shockingly, they charged into the media tables behind the basket. It looked like something that should’ve happened on HBO, not a pro hoop game. Cameramen scurried. Microphones flew. Boom—both were out. Ejected. End of story. You could stop the clocks—both rookies in the BIG3 season were done for the night.
Fight That Went Nuclear
So what actually went down? The sequence looked a little like this:
- Stephenson elbowed Howard—reporters say it started with a chest jab as they jockeyed for position .
- Howard shoved back, a classic “don’t you dare” moment.
- Stephenson retaliated with a punch, and before you knew it, sticks and stones became shields and fists. They grappled, twisted, even tried headlocks. Some fans think Howard even attempted a headlock-style hold .
- The brawl spilled into the media area, with both athletes tumbling past the boundary line into tables, chairs, cameramen, and whatever else was there.
In less than 30 seconds, both men were escorted off. No free throws. No commercial break. The refs made a statement in a hurry: “You’re out.” Just like that, the game lost its two biggest names.
Miami 305 ended up winning 50–44, but nobody cared about the score. The show was in the fallen microphones and scrambled broadcast table.
The Veterans Bring the Heat
What struck me was how perfectly this fit the BIG3 vibe. You’ve got Ice Cube’s vision: older stars, clutch moments, and a little rough-and-tumble to keep it real. The league’s built to let guy like Howard and Stephenson show they still got it—on the court and emotionally. Ice Cube even said fans get the “passion” of old pros in the heat of battle.
Yeah, some might say it went overboard. Going into the media tables, dragging cameras into chaos? That’s a major jump from rough play. But ask any fan: they tuned in for drama. Some might’ve been hoping for a fighting league—well, at least two guys delivered. The court was intense, the crowd roared, and the chaos ended in ejections. That’s entertainment.
Fans React (and It Gets Real)
The social media buzz exploded. Here’s how the wave looked:
On Reddit (from a Crazy-court thread), fans debated if it was real:
“Lance trying fight everyone lol”
That sums it up—Stephenson came out swinging.
Twitter (X) lit up with clips and clips of the freakout—fans shouting, slicing clips, tagging friends. One tweet read: “Dwight Howard and Lance Stephenson EJECTED for FIGHTING on the first day of The Big 3.”
Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated shared viral reaction, calling it a “brawl” and describing how the fight “blew up into the media area” Bleacher Report posted videos showing Stephenson falling on top of Howard—because at that moment, it felt more fight than hoop.
Even folks on TikTok were going wild. One clip captioned “Lance Stephenson is CRASHING OUT in the BIG3,” and another labeled it a “wrestling match.” The mood? Pure entertainment.
Was It Flawed or Pure Effort?
Is there something wrong with two ex-NBA guys nearly wrestling behind the arc? Maybe. In a league with cameras, flashy jerseys, and a casual wrap-up show, the line between basketball and showbiz blurs fast.
Still, there’s a realness to it. Stephenson is known for getting under opponents’ skin—remember his antics with Paul George in the playoffs? Howard has power moves, especially in the paint. Let’s face it: emotions rise when two big egos collide. And when they do, even casual observers feel the spark.
Stephenson dropped 16 points in the game, Howard hit 10 points and nabbed 7 boards bleacherreport.com. Both played hard, competed harder, and walked out faster. That’s a storyline you can’t script better. It’s real. Raw. Rough.
BIG3 Just Got a Lot More Interesting
If this was the first spark of the season—count me intrigued. The bigger question now: Will Big3 crack down? Will Ice Cube suspend the guys, dock pay, impose fines? People will remember who won that night. I remember the tables. The tumble. The tension.
And that’s precisely the point. The BIG3 thrives on nostalgia, gritty memories, and a hint of chaos. Fans don’t just watch—they feel. That’s the appeal. So if you wanted old-school passion mixed with wild moments, you got it.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, it was more than a scuffle—it was a reminder we remember these names for a reason. Dwight and Lance brought that old energy. They reminded us why we loved them in the first place—not just for the points, but for the swagger, the passion, and yeah, the occasional hard shove.
Miami 305 won the stat sheet, but everyone else walked away with a story. In BIG3, sometimes the greatest highlight isn’t a buzzer beater—it’s a fight that leaps into the camera crew.