The 41-year-old has long been retired but has thrust himself in the headlines again. His actions during the game have drawn attention from many, and Michigan State University head coach Tom Izzo himself has expressed his frustration over the former player’s actions.
Tom Izzo talks about Paul Davis’ inappropriate comments from the stands
Former NBA and Michigan State player Paul Davis caused an unfortunate incident during the team’s win over USC last Monday. The former Spartan was seen loudly shouting at official Jeffrey Anderson when the Spartans were leading 67-46. His actions led to him eventually getting an ejection from the stands. Cameras also showed Michigan State University head coach Tom Izzo saying to the player, “What are you doing?” and even told him to get out of the stands.
Odd moment in Michigan State-USC. After being consulted by the referee, it appears Tom Izzo asks former Spartan, Paul Davis, to leave his seat. pic.twitter.com/rix9qIyEnd
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 6, 2026
Izzo spoke about the situation in greater detail after the game was over in his post-game press conference. Izzo is no stranger to Davis having managed him at Michigan State during the latter’s stint there during 2002-06. Izzo said that he did not approve of his former player’s actions, “I love Paul Davis, I really do… But what he said, you should never say anywhere in the world. And that really ticked me off.”
Tom Izzo on Paul Davis’ ejection from the Izzone:
“I love Paul Davis, I really do… But what he said, you should never say anywhere in the world. And that really ticked me off. I’m gonna have to call him tomorrow and tell him what I thought of that” 😳pic.twitter.com/oTigh2ST80
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 6, 2026
What exactly Davis said is unknown, or why, but his former coach assured that, “It wasn’t something racial, it wasn’t something sexual, it was just the wrong thing to say, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Izzo did say that he was going to talk to Davis about it later, “I’m going to have to call him tomorrow and tell him what I thought of it. And you know what? He’ll say, ‘I screwed up, Coach. Sorry.’ He kind of got after the official, and he was 150% wrong.”
Both of them clearly have a good relationship, as the former often comes to watch the Spartans games. Izzo is well respected for his long career, and Davis is likely to apologize for his actions in the game.
Tom Izzo reaches significant milestone in Michigan State’s win over USC
Aside from the undesirable situation with Paul Davis, Tom Izzo reached a very notable achievement in his team’s win over USC. It was his 750th career win as a Division I head coach. It makes him the 23rd such person to achieve such an important feat. The 70-year-old has been Michigan State’s coach since 1995 and is also in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Izzo has led the Spartans in 1,054 games across his 31-year tenure. With 750 wins and 304 losses, he has a stellar winning percentage of 0.712. It will not be long before he gets into the top 15 all-time win record and perhaps even the top 10.
He has led his team to a National Championship back in 2000, and has taken them to the Final Four eight times. Izzo will now look forward to keeping his winning streak alive in the next games as he attempts to further his achievements in the years to come.
