Tempers flared late in Saturday’s game between the Grizzlies and Heat at Kaseya Center in Miami. The players at the center of the fracas were Miami forward Myron Gardner and Memphis forward Scotty Pippen Jr.
Pippen walked directly up to Gardner and shoved him into the front row of the crowd. The rest of the Grizzlies and Heat players, as well as each coaching staff, rushed over to the two players as the chaos ensued. Tensions boiled between Gardner and Pippen over a few quick possessions.
First, the two fought for a rebound where Gardner had a hard box out which prompted Pippen to bring him down to the floor, physically pulling him away from the ball. As Memphis ran up the floor in transition, Pippen made an open three-pointer. Gardner was behind the play and ran directly into Pippen from behind as the shot dropped, returning the favor and sending the Grizzlies forward to the floor.
Once Pippen collected himself, he ran back on defense with the goal of going directly at Gardner. That’s when the kerfuffle spilled into the stands for some late fireworks in the 136-120 Miami win. You can watch the entire sequence below:
Here’s what went down:
-Scotty Pippen Jr. and Myron Gardner fight for a rebound, SPJ tosses Gardner (physical but fine)
-SPJ hits a 3, Gardner delivers a cheap shot to the back well after the shot is away
-Pippen wants all the smoke down (rightfully so)Never seen SPJ like that pic.twitter.com/gsaZdE710J
— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) February 22, 2026
Pippen and Gardner were both ejected as a result of the scuffle. It didn’t appear that any Memphis or Miami players on the bench left its vicinity to head toward the brawl, which would result in automatic discipline from the league.
Gardner is in his first year with the Heat, averaging 4.1 points in 9.7 minutes per game over 27 appearances. This is his first NBA season after spending the past three years with the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate. Pippen made his season debut on Feb. 6 after recovering from left toe surgery. We’ll await to see whether the NBA doles out any suspensions as a result of the mess.