NBA Suspends Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes After Unusual Pre-Game Incident

Jan 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes (11) reacts towards the Denver Nuggets bench in the fourth quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has made some headlines as of late, notably for accepting an invitation to participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. However, on Wednesday, after the team's eight-game road trip officially came to an end with a win over the Brooklyn Nets, Hayes was hit with a one-game suspension by the league.

Even though players get suspended all the time in the NBA for all sorts of different reasons, Hayes' suspension is unique, to say the least. The NBA has suspended him for one game due to an altercation with the Washington Wizards' mascot.

NBA Suspends Jaxson Hayes for One Game Due to Altercation With Wizards Mascot

Jaxson Hayes has been hit with a one-game suspension for pushing the Washington Wizards mascot: pic.twitter.com/ZUfaLwXPcv

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 4, 2026

That's right, Hayes will not play in Thursday's game against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena because he pushed the Wizards mascot before the game in Washington on January 30 at Capital One Arena.

Jaxson Hayes shoved Wizards mascot, G-Wiz, in pre-game introductions

Shams Charania reported today that he got suspended for one game because of this incident

Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers - 1/30/26

Also on Youtube:https://t.co/paMCjVNI2g pic.twitter.com/YxssK6F6Wz

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) February 4, 2026

This has to be a first. Personally, I've never heard of a player in the NBA or any professional sport for that matter getting suspended for an altercation with an opposing team's mascot, which makes this pretty comical, but unfortunate that it will cost Hayes one game and leave the Lakers shorthanded in the paint against Joel Embiid and company.

Lakers Finish Eight-Game Road Trip on High Note

Even though this is unfortunate news for Hayes and the Lakers, Los Angeles seems to be getting into a bit of a groove lately, and got a huge boost on Tuesday against the Nets with rising star Austin Reaves returning to the lineup after a 19-game absence due to a calf strain.

The Lakers finished their eight-game road trip with Reaves back in the mix and the team going 5-3 away from Los Angeles, which isn't all that bad, considering they didn't have Reaves for the majority of that trip and had some struggles along the way.

NBA Trade Deadline Looms Large for Lakers

Feb 3, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts during the third period against the Philadelphia 76ers at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Justine Willard-Imagn Images | Justine Willard-Imagn Images

The real question for the Lakers now is whether the team decides to make a move or moves ahead of the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 5. It seems less and less likely that general manager Rob Pelinka and company do make a trade before the buzzer sounds on the deadline on Thursday, but things change quickly in the NBA.

Perhaps one of the most interesting developments has been the possibility of the Lakers acquiring Draymond Green, which would help address the team's issues on defense.

However, it remains to be seen how realistic landing Green is moving forward.