If you’re a basketball fan, you know that the most prominent storyline in the NBA this week has been the confrontation between the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and Detroit Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart.
The incident occurred during the third quarter of the Lakers’ 121-116 over the Pistons on Sunday. James and Stewart were battling for a rebound, which led to the former hitting the latter in the face, resulting in blood. Both men had to be restrained by their teammates, especially Stewart, who made several charges at LeBron. When all was said and done, both men were ejected from the game.
Fast forward to Monday and James has been suspended for one game by the NBA, while Stewart will miss Detroit’s next two.
Now, Bovada has released odds on a hypothetical boxing match between LeBron James and Isaiah Stewart. That’s not too shocking considering that’s what sportsbooks usually do when two athletes (or celebrities) have public beef.
Keeping that in mind, here’s a look at the betting odds for a James vs Stewart boxing match.
NBA: LeBron James vs. Isaiah Stewart Boxing Odds
Odds via Bovada as of Tuesday, November 23
- LeBron James (-230) vs. Isaiah Stewart (+160)
LeBron Favored in Hypothetical NBA Boxing Match
At -230 odds, Bovada is favoring James over Stewart if the two ever come face-to-face inside of a boxing ring.
When it comes to the tale of the tape, both NBA players have similar body builds. According to various sources, James stands at 6-foot-9 and weighs 250lbs. On the other hand, Stewart also weights 250lbs, however, he stands one inch less at 6-foot-8.
While some may give the advantage to the younger “fighter,” it’s important to take note of how well James takes care of his body. It’s been reported many times that he spends at least $1.5 million taking care of himself, which is why he’s remained in peak physical condition at the age of 36. If there’s any player who could step into the boxing ring at his age, it would be ‘The King.’
On the other hand, Stewart is younger and could have the stamina to keep himself in the fight. He’s also a lot hungrier to make a name for himself. We’ve already seen how intense he can get once he’s hit during an NBA game, so it would be interesting to see if that escalates in a boxing ring.
Nevertheless, we likely won’t see this boxing match come to fruition. It’s LeBron James we’re talking about, after all. He’s very protective of his image and “settling his beef” in a boxing ring just isn’t something he’d do. Still, it’s fun to imagine what it would be like.
James Tried Apologizing to Stewart
Another reason why we won’t see this boxing match go down is that James actually apologized to Stewart for what happened on Sunday. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the veteran asked around for Stewart’s number after the game so that he could personally apologize to him, adding that the hit was unintentional.
There’s no update on whether or not Stewart accepted the apology or at least heard James out. Obviously, he isn’t required to accept, however, it would also make sense if they wanted to settle this privately.
Or maybe — just maybe — Stewart will only accept the apology if it’s in the form of a boxing match. All jokes aside, it’ll be interesting to see what happens when the Lakers and Pistons meet next time.
Fortunately, NBA fans won’t have to wait too long. Detroit will be visiting Los Angeles this upcoming Sunday, Nov. 28.
