Exclusive: Chris Haynes Details Dwight Howard–Lance Stephenson Brawl That Spilled Into the Stands in BIG3 Week One

Some basketball stories you’d dismiss as too outrageous for Hollywood. But in the BIG3, they don’t wait for a script—they happen live. Forget nostalgia tours. Forget soft charity runs. This league is raw, and with $1 million on the line, emotions run hotter than any summer gym. In an exclusive sit-down with EssentiallySports, veteran hoops reporter Chris Haynes pulled back the curtain on his unforgettable “welcome to the BIG3 moment,” when Dwight Howard and Lance Stephenson turned a heated matchup into a brawl that spilled into the stands.

If you think Lance Stephenson showing up in the headlines was a shocker, you might want to rethink it. The Lakers alum has made a career out of turning games into theater (one unforgettable moment with LeBron still lives rent-free in NBA history), and week one of the BIG3 was no exception! The way Chris Haynes recalled, the league didn’t exactly ease him in.

“Well, they might not want me to admit this, but my first week, my first week on the job site, reporting Week 1, it was the Dwight Howard, Lance Stephenson brawl that got into the stands,” Haynes told EssentiallySports, still in disbelief. And it wasn’t just one controversy, either…

First, there was a tussle between Jordan Crawford and Lance Stephenson as the former shoved his hand in Lance’s face, and Lance fired back with a semi-punch. That moment didn’t get anyone tossed, but it did set the tone. Soon after, the spotlight shifted to Dwight Howard and Lance again.

What started as chest bumps and shoves quickly escalated into a full-blown wrestle that tumbled into the media tables and stands, forcing ejections and leaving fans stunned!

Meanwhile, legendary trash-talker Gary Payton was at it too, giving the refs hell from the sideline, leaning into that old-school “they’re biased” narrative that echoes his NBA-era feuds with officiating. “I can’t even say what he was saying. Like Gary Payton was going off on the refs,” Chris Haynes said with a laugh.

By then, something had set the tone. This wasn’t the polish of an NBA prime-time broadcast. This was raw, very unpredictable, and charged with pride. “And so I’m thinking to myself, this is only week 1! This is what it’s going to be like. Like golly!” Haynes added.

To add to the chaos, the Dwight-Lance brawl didn’t just stay on the hardwood… Tempers exploded, shoves intensified, and suddenly the fight spilled into the stands. “Maybe that was a little bit too much,” Haynes admitted.

Unlike the NBA, where even a hard foul can feel like a federal case, the BIG3 embraces a more physical brand of basketball. These are ex-NBA stars, many still with something to prove, clashing in a format where reputations are on the line with every possession. “They received a warning because they were rookies. You know, they’re 35-year-old or 39-year-old rookies,” Chris Haynes explained exclusively to EssentiallySports with the same wit he practices in his reports. That paradox is the charm of the BIG3.

You hear that? 35- and 39-year-old “rookies.” And the league’s reasoning for going lenient on them? According to reports, both Howard and Stephenson dodged suspensions simply because they were still “getting accustomed” to the BIG3’s unapologetically physical style of play.

A “Brawl” Welcome—or Ice Cube’s New BIG3 Marketing Plan?

Legends stepped onto the floor, pride often outpacing contracts. In Week 1, that pride combusted. And no one embodies that combustible pride quite like Lance Stephenson. Because when you come to think of it, there’s one highlight (or lowlight, depending on who you ask) that eclipses every fight and headline, even if it is 11 years old. Lakers alum or not, his basketball immortality is sealed by that split-second in 2014. Leaning into LeBron James’ ear and blowing, as if that was going to break The King’s focus. Yes, you read that right.

The move went instantly viral, outliving the Pacers’ playoff hopes and carving Stephenson’s spot in meme history. And just when the moment seemed like old internet lore, Stephenson brought it back up nearly 11 years later, implying he had no regrets!

If anything, it proved that the man was always going to stir the pot harder, even when the game itself had moved on. Fast forward to the BIG3, and it wasn’t just past lore anymore. Stephenson’s flair for chaos was still very much alive… Even Dwight Howard admitted that the league itself, or at least Ice Cube, had a hand in amplifying it. In a private chat later revealed, Howard didn’t hold back words about the commissioner’s role in setting the stage for Lance’s clash.

“So what’s up? We were trying to get more people to watch the BIG3. Was that not planned before? Ice Cube said, ‘Hey, I need y’all to fight. Dwight, you Deebo. I need you to come out there with your eyes crossed. And Lance, I need you to be somebody else.’ And that’s what ended up happening.”

It was, as many would say, inevitable. Both men arrived with NBA resumes and reputations, but in the BIG3, past accolades mean little when the game gets physical. And as Haynes put it?

“You’ve had some confrontations, altercations every now and then, but you know that happens, like, because this is not a tickytack foul league. So, you’re going to elicit guys being mad, being frustrated for not getting calls, and they’re taking it out on their opponents or they’re taking it out on the refs.”

The difference? In the BIG3, those moments aren’t sanitised. They’re raw. And they spill into the seats, grabbing headlines. For Haynes, though, it was a trial by fire. “That was the moment that stuck out to me because I was like, ‘Wow, is this what it’s going to be like each week?’ And so, it was a fun moment that was kind of like my welcome to the BIG3 moment,” he told EssentiallySports.

Guys who were once role players in the NBA are suddenly headliners here, and they’re treating it like an opening night on Broadway. And like all great theatre, you can’t look away, can you?