Ajay Mitchell is pulled back from a scrum of players during an NBA brawl between the OKC Thunder and Washington Wizards -Credit:Getty
(Getty)
The Oklahoma City Thunder skipped a White House visit, yet still ended up in the middle of unwanted controversy in the form of an all-out brawl in the second-quarter against the Washington Wizards during their trip to DC.
The incident occurred 27 seconds before halftime, right after Anthony Gill scored to reduce the Thunder’s lead to 68-63. What began as a verbal exchange between Jaylin Williams and Wizards forward Justin Champagnie under the basket quickly turned physical.
Champagnie appeared to shove Williams before Williams extended his arms with the ball and placed a hand on Champagnie’s chest. He then swatted Williams’ arm down and shoved him again. Meanwhile, Giants star Cam Skattebo was forced to apologize after calling CTE and asthma fake.
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Bilal Coulibaly then hurried over, with Ajay Mitchell behind him. Mitchell shoved Coulibaly, causing a chaotic pile-up as multiple players collided and fell toward the baseline. The early trash talk erupted into a full-scale fight with players scattered all around and officials rushing to restore order.
Champagnie was thrown out for Washington, while Williams, Cason Wallace, and Mitchell were all tossed for Oklahoma City, turning a late-second-quarter sequence into a four-player ejection.
Bub Carrington took the technical free throws, splitting attempts as the Thunder led 69-64 at halftime. Washington briefly led 70-69 early in the third after Will Riley’s layup, while Coulibaly continued to shoot.
Every time the Wizards threatened, Oklahoma City responded, with Chet Holmgren scoring inside, Isaiah Hartenstein controlling the boards, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander calmly taking over possessions when stabilization was needed. By the fourth quarter, the game was essentially decided after SGA scored 40 points and provided seven assists.
Hartenstein recorded a 9-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, and Holmgren added 18 points, 10 rebounds, with the Thunder winning 132-111. Oklahoma City shot 54%, dominated the glass 55-34, and extended its league-leading streak to 11 games, improving to 56-15.
All of it happened the day after the defending NBA champions confirmed they would not visit the White House during the trip, with a spokesperson saying ‘timing’ prevented the celebration.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points against the Washington Wizards -Credit:Getty
The statement from ESPN read, “We have been in touch with the White House, and we are appreciative and grateful for the communication we have had, but the timing just didn’t work out.”
That decision quietly placed the Thunder alongside past champions who did not make Trump-era visits. The Golden State Warriors dodged the White House twice after winning back-to-back NBA titles (2017, 2018). The Toronto Raptors, Canada’s lone NBA franchise, also did not visit the White House during their 2019 title run.
The Thunder skipped the ceremony, handled business, and still left Washington with a win by over 20 points. OKC’s 56-15 record remains the best in the NBA with 11 games remaining in the regular season.