New York Knicks forward Josh Hart was ejected from the team’s 2025-26 NBA preseason-opening matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for throwing the ball into the stands after appearing to suffer a non-contact injury early in the second quarter.
After rebounding a missed 3-pointer from Sixers rookie Johni Broome, Hart turned and began to dribble up the court. As Philadelphia guard Kennedy Chandler gave chase, Hart stumbled and slipped down to the floor, wincing in pain as he went down; Chandler reached down to tie him up, forcing a jump ball.
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Once the whistle blew, a frustrated Hart flung the ball away before rolling and writhing in front of the 76ers’ bench, with Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse leaning down to check on him. Hart stayed down for a few moments before getting up, seemingly favoring his lower back and walking gingerly back to the Knicks’ locker room. He wouldn’t come back out: The ball-toss earned him a technical foul and an ejection, bringing a premature end to his preseason debut. Hart finished with 2 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in just over seven minutes of playing time.
After starting all 77 of his regular-season appearances in 2024-25, Hart came off the bench for the preseason opener, as new Knicks head coach Mike Brown opted to start big men Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns together — in keeping with a change that predecessor Tom Thibodeau made (at Hart’s behest) during the Knicks’ Eastern Conference finals loss to the Pacers in May and in a potential preview of a starting lineup change that was one of a number of topics of discussion at Knicks media day prior to their trip to Abu Dhabi. Brown cautioned against reading too much into preseason practices and combinations, saying the team’s starting lineup “will materialize throughout camp” and he planned to “be methodical with [his] approach” in determining a starting five for the beginning of the regular season.
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Whether he starts or comes off the bench, though, Hart — fresh off a career year, averaging 13.6 points on 52.5% shooting to go with 9.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals in a league-leading 37.6 minutes per game last season — is expected to play a major role on a Knicks team that enters the season harboring championship aspirations. He’s already working through an issue with his right ring finger that has him playing with a splint on his shooting hand; the Knicks and their fans will hope that whatever led to him grimacing on the ground before heaving the ball and getting the heave-ho isn’t serious enough to compound his physical woes at the start of the season.
