Jaxson Hayes Suspended for Shoving Mascot in Bizarre Pregame Incident
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jaxson Hayes has been suspended one game without pay by the NBA for a bizarre and aggressive pregame incident involving the Washington Wizards’ mascot, G-Wiz.
The altercation occurred last Friday, January 30, 2026, at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. During the Lakers’ pre-game introductions, the Wizards’ mascot, G-Wiz, ran onto the court waving a large team flag.
As the mascot ran off the floor, video shows Hayes, who was on the Lakers’ bench, getting up and forcefully shoving G-Wiz from behind.
The mascot collided with a Wizards cheerleader before the video feed cut away. The Lakers went on to win the game 142-111, with Hayes contributing 10 points, three rebounds, an assist, and a steal off the bench.
The NBA’s Decision and Fallout
The league announced the one-game suspension on Tuesday, February 4. Hayes served the suspension on Wednesday, February 5, when the Lakers hosted the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Los Angeles Lakers forward Jaxson Hayes has been suspended one game without pay for shoving the Washington Wizards mascot during pregame introductions on Jan. 30,” the NBA’s statement read.
Forfeiting one game’s pay will cost Hayes approximately $42,000, based on his one-year, $3.45 million contract with the Lakers.
Context and Reaction
This is not Hayes’ first notable off-court incident. In 2021, while with the New Orleans Pelicans, he was involved in a physical altercation with police officers responding to a domestic dispute at his home.
The mascot-shoving incident sparked immediate reaction online, with many criticizing Hayes’ lack of impulse control. Comments on the Daily Mail article reporting the news included labels like “thug” and references to “no impulse control,”
The suspension comes at a time when the Lakers are fighting for playoff positioning in the Western Conference, making the loss of a rotation player for even a single game a notable setback.