Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has been suspended one game without pay for pushing a Washington Wizards mascot during pre-game introductions, it was announced on Wednesday by James Jones, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations with the NBA.
The incident occurred during pregame introductions of the Lakers’ 142-111 win over the Wizards at Capital One Arena on Jan. 30.
Hayes will serve his one-game suspension when the Lakers host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena.
Here is video of the incident that occurred to lead to the suspension:
Here is video of Jaxson Hayes shoving the Wizards mascot, which led to a one-game suspension.
(via @BleacherReport) pic.twitter.com/IMyBbic9Cj
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) February 4, 2026
According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, the mascot was not injured during the incident:
Sources tell me, actually, that G-Wiz, the Wizards mascot, was not injured after the incident with Hayes that led to the suspension.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 4, 2026
While it’s good to see that the mascot was not injured and it’s unclear what led to the push, that type of behavior is not something the league is going to tolerate and now Hayes will be out for one game.
The suspension comes at an unfortunate time as the Lakers just got back to full strength with Austin Reaves returning in Tuesday night’s win over the Brooklyn Nets.
The Lakers have been dealing with guys in and out of the lineup all season, and the hope was for everyone to be available for an extended stretch to finally build some continuity.
Additionally, the NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, so depending on what moves the Lakers make, they could already be playing against the 76ers with a shorthanded roster, and now Hayes will be unavailable as well.
With Hayes out, the Lakers will likely turn to either Maxi Kleber or Drew Timme for backup center minutes, and they have also had some recent success going small with LeBron James, Rui Hachimura or Jarred Vanderbilt at center.
Luckily, it is only a one-game suspension for Hayes, who will be eligible to return for Saturday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
Jaxson Hayes to participate in NBA Slam Dunk Contest
It was recently announced that Hayes will be one of the four participants in this year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
Hayes has thrown down a lot of crazy dunks throughout his career, most recently one he put through his legs late in the Lakers’ win over the Chicago Bulls.
Centers haven’t always fared well in the Dunk Contest, but Hayes could be the perfect mix of size and athleticism to pull off something unique to win the event.
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