The Rockets eased past the Wizards tonight in a 123-118 win for Houston. Trae Young sat on the sidelines, eagerly waiting for his debut. But unfortunately for him, he faced the first ejection in his time with the Wizards without even playing a single minute.
With three minutes left in the third quarter, a scuffle broke out between Tari Eason and Jamir Watkins after the Rockets’ forward shoved Watkins twice in an aggressive manner during the game. Trae Young couldn’t hold back and rushed to the court in his teammate’s defense.
Trae Young EJECTED for running on the court 😳
He still hasn’t played a game for the Wizards yet 😅 pic.twitter.com/MFfK2ZrtDS
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 3, 2026
Following the game, Young went on social media and penned down his response to the incident.
“Don’t expect me to get ejected too many more times, D.C.😂 .. but I’m definitely bringing that energy & competitiveness when I’m back for my brothers! 🫶🏽,” wrote Young on X.
Unfortunately for him, according to Rule 12, Section VII (c) of the NBA’s rulebook, a player, especially one who is not actively playing, cannot leave the immediate vicinity of the bench to participate in an altercation. Thus, Young was ejected from the game with Eason.
Young hasn’t even played a game in the Wizards uniform yet, and he still saw his first ejection. On the other hand, Tari Eason’s mother, Teroya Eason, went on social media and took sides with her son.
“He said sum. Know that,” she wrote on X as she predicted why her son shoved Watkins on the court.
“Wtf Trae Young has to do with it??? Lmao,” she further wrote when Young got ejected.
“Mfs gotta watch their mouth out there. It’s a man’s game. That’s just the math,” she further added moments later. But she disagreed with the ejection and how the officials responded to the incident.
“Notes: That shoulda been an O foul on my son. Possibly flagrant. Def a tech. To the line. We reset. Not go the other way without de-escalation. He flew across the court. It’s clear it was static.🤦🏾♀️ We shoulda won by 40. The Rockets are still my faves for the chip. I love them💙,” Eason concluded.
Eason was ejected from the game with nine points, six rebounds, and two assists while shooting 4-11 from the floor (36.4 FG%). He was clearly having an off night, but the Rockets got the last laugh as they came away with the win.
However, the Wizards have a lot to look forward to with Young’s addition to the team. The former All-Star is averaging 25.2 points, 9.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in the eight seasons he has played so far in the league. He is a career 43.2% shooter from the field and 35.1% from beyond the arc.
He has only played in 10 games so far this season, and thus, the sample of his performance is too small to judge the potential of what he can do with the team. After the game, even Kevin Durant spoke to the media and addressed how much better the Wizards would get with Young active on the court.
“(Trae is) gonna make the game easier for everybody else on the floor. I’m excited for the hometown team, excited for AD to put the jersey on, too, and represent the city. I see bright things in their future,” said Durant, who finished tonight with 30 points and seven rebounds (8-15 FG, 53.3 FG%).
The Rockets improved to 38-22 following this win and now move on to host the Warriors in their next game on Thursday, March 5. Meanwhile, the Wizards fell to 16-44 and will face the Magic tomorrow night before heading home for Young’s debut against the Jazz on Thursday.
