Rare sight! Lakers center Hayes suspended without pay for one game by NBA for shoving the Wizards mascot

On February 5th Beijing time, the NBA handed down a punishment: Lakers’ interior player Hayes was suspended for one game without pay for pushing the Washington Wizards mascot “G-Wiz” during the pregame entrance in January. Numerous journalists and fans reposting the penalty expressed surprise at such a rare occurrence.

The incident happened before the January 31st game where the Lakers dominated the Wizards 142 to 111. The NBA officially announced that Hayes would be suspended for one game and fined without pay.

Hayes’ suspension is expected to be enforced this Friday when the Lakers host the Philadelphia 76ers. US media later released video footage related to the shoving incident.

The 25-year-old Hayes has mostly served as a bench player for the Lakers this season. He has appeared in 41 games, averaging 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

Hayes was a first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, traded on draft night from the Atlanta Hawks to the New Orleans Pelicans. He spent his first four NBA seasons with the Pelicans, averaging 7.5 points per game during that time.

After the 2022-23 season, Hayes signed a two-year contract with the Lakers worth $4.6 million. Upon its expiration, he re-signed for one year at $3.5 million. Throughout his three seasons with the Lakers, Hayes has mostly been a reserve, but in the 2024-25 season, he started 35 of the 56 games he played. This season’s All-Star event will also feature Hayes competing in the dunk contest.