Dwight Howard and Stephenson were expelled after a dispute in BIG3 league

Dwight Howard and Lance Stephenson had a fierce dispute in the opening game of the 2025 BIG3 League, and the dispute even spread to the media area and were eventually expelled.

Dwight Howard locked Lance Stephenson with his head. Stephenson's response was to drag him into the crowd near the media seat. This is how things escalated in the opening game of the BIG3 League against Miami 305 on Saturday. At the end of the game, two former NBA stars were expelled before they scored their last point.

It all starts later in the game. After the two had a physical conflict, Stephenson raised his hand to Howard, but Howard immediately pushed his hand away. The next moment, the two wrestled together, got out of bounds, and the sound of the fight crossed the sideline and rushed into the media area behind the basket. The security guard arrived quickly, but the live broadcast captured the intense scene of the moment from multiple angles.

Earlier in the match, Stephenson had already clashed with another opponent. Jordan Crawford broke into his penalty area and seemed to hit his face, triggering a brief quarrel, and Stephenson fisted at each other. Neither player was expelled from the game due to this conflict.

Saturday's game was Howard and Stephenson's BIG3 debut, both players with long NBA careers. Stephenson scored a team-high 16 points, while Howard scored 10 points and 7 rebounds before the quarrel ended. Miami eventually won the game 50-44, with Mario Chalmers' layup securing the victory for the team.

This game is part of the opening game of the 2025 BIG3 League season, embarking on a 10-week journey, with 8 new teams joining and a $1 million championship bonus. League founder Ice Cube attended the competition but did not comment.

Dwight Howard is expected to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year. The 39-year-old won the championship with the Lakers in 2020 and won the Defensive Player of the Year three times in his career. Stephenson, 34, played for the Pacers for most of his NBA career, and played briefly in overseas and in the Development League before joining the BIG3 league.

This was originally the first night of the two veterans, but it became the most popular moment on the opening weekend of the BIG3 League. It wasn't because of a great game, but because of a battle beyond the court.