Trae Young Ejected Before Playing

The altercation that led to Trae Young's ejection began in the third quarter and involved Wizards rookie Jamir Watkins and Rockets forward Tari Eason. After Eason shoved Watkins to the floor, Young, who was in street clothes, stepped onto the court from the bench area to argue with an official. Under NBA rules, leaving the bench during an altercation is grounds for an automatic ejection, a penalty swiftly enforced by referee Tony Brothers. The incident resulted in multiple ejections and technical fouls. Tari Eason was also ejected after receiving a technical for the initial shove and then a double-technical along with Watkins. For the Rockets, Alperen Sengun led the way with 32 points and 13 rebounds, while Kevin Durant added 30 points. Bilal Coulibaly was the high scorer for the Wizards with 23 points. Young's debut for the Wizards is anticipated to be on Thursday against the Utah Jazz. He was acquired by Washington in a January trade that sent CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Atlanta Hawks. Young has been sidelined with knee and quadriceps injuries and has not played in a game since late December. Following his ejection, Young took to social media, posting on X: "Don't expect me to get ejected too many more times D.C... but I'm definitely bringing that energy & competitiveness when I'm back for my brothers!" The league has the authority to issue a suspension for leaving the bench area during a confrontation, but no official decision has been announced. While a pre-debut ejection is highly unusual, it adds to a list of bizarre ejections in NBA history. Famously, Rasheed Wallace was once ejected from a game for staring at a referee. In another strange incident, Tim Duncan was ejected for laughing on the bench. Wallace also holds the distinction of being the first player ever to be ejected from the McDonald's All-American high school game.