Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes apologizes to teammates, Wizards mascot after suspension

Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes returned to the court on Saturday night in a 105-99 victory over the Golden State Warriors after serving a one-game suspension for shoving the Washington Wizards’ mascot, G-Wiz, during pregame introductions on January 30. The incident, which took place before the Lakers’ 142-111 win over the Wizards at Capital One Arena, went viral. Although the mascot was unharmed, the NBA suspended Hayes for one game without pay.

The 25-year-old addressed the incident following the Warriors game.

“Obviously apologized to the team, to the mascot,” he told reporters. “We’re all trying to get ourselves in the mental space and the physical space to get ready to go out and play a game, and when somehow I’m stretching, and somebody steps on my foot, I might have lost it. Should have handled it a different way, and we live, and we learn, and so just going to keep doing that again.”

Jaxson Hayes apologized to his teammates and the Wizards mascot for the incident leading to a one-game suspension. However, he explained that the shove was prompted by his foot being stepped on by the mascot. pic.twitter.com/vXHPsxG4RY

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 8, 2026

Head coach JJ Redick confirmed that Hayes had apologized internally and described it as a learning opportunity. Hayes did not play in Thursday’s 119-115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers due to the suspension, which came amid LA’s effort to maintain momentum with Luka Doncic sidelined due to a hamstring injury. Since Deandre Ayton was also unavailable because of right knee soreness, Hayes made it into the starting lineup, playing 20 minutes and contributing six points (3-4 FG), four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block.

In 42 games this season, Hayes is averaging 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 17.4 minutes per game, shooting 77.5% from the field and 64.0% from the free-throw line. He has also been selected to compete in the 2026 NBA Slam Dunk Contest on February 14.

The incident involving G-Wiz is uncommon in NBA history, as most player-mascot interactions are playful and rarely lead to discipline. The league, led by executive vice president James Jones, clearly indicated zero tolerance for physical altercations with game-day staff. While Hayes faced legal troubles in the past, having been arrested in July 2021 for domestic violence and later sentenced in 2022 to probation, community service, and mandatory classes, the league has taken no further disciplinary measures.

With the win over Golden State, Los Angeles improved to 32-19, good for fifth in the Western Conference, and remains one game behind the third-place Denver Nuggets. Hayes and the Lakers will next host the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on Monday at 10 PM ET.

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