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As of Tuesday morning, Brook Lopez had managed to play in 911 NBA games without being ejected. However, the streak that stretched back to his debut with the Nets in 2008 officially came to an end when the Bucks faced off against the Raptors.
The two teams were engaged in a back-and-forth battle midway through the fourth quarter when Lopez got tied up with Gary Trent Jr. in the paint. While it appeared the big man was initially content with keeping the Toronto guard in a bear hug, he ultimately escalated the situation by ripping off Trent’s headband, which the referees decided was enough to send Lopez to the locker room for the remainder of the contest following a video review of the altercation.
Brook Lopez got ejected for taking Gary Trent Jr.'s headband 😅 pic.twitter.com/a57IJRBfvj
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 18, 2023
Lopez was more than happy to chat with the media about what went down after the Bucks secured the 130-122 victory in his absence.
The fairly bizarre nature of the ejection inspired an equally strange exchange with Bucks beat reporter Zora Stephenson, as the center ensured he’ll have some more discipline coming his way after putting the refs on blast before turning his Sarcasm Levels up to 11 while recapping the contest.
Brook Lopez spoke with @ZoraStephenson after his first career ejection. #FearTheDeer | #Bucks pic.twitter.com/lwkBBqZEet
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) January 18, 2023
According to CBS Sports, Lopez also shed some light on his decision to snatch the headband while offering a very interesting explanation concerning his motivation, saying:
“I had to do something. It was talking to me. Make sure this never gets aired: You know how like serial killers say the dog in their apartment building was talking? The headband was talking to me.”
Allllllllrighty then.