The Malice At The Palace's Unforgettable Fought In Today's History, 19 November 2004

Ron Artest (Photo: NBA Documentation)

JAKARTA - On November 19, 2004, a basketball match between the India Pacers and the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills was marred by chaos. Indiana Pacers basketball player Ron Artest jumped into the stands to beat up a spectator and a Detroit Pistons fan who threw a beer at him. This event is also known as The Malice at the Palace.

Launching SBNation, with approximately 46 seconds remaining, the Indiana Pacers lead with a score of 97-82. However, Ron Artest is known to have violated Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons who was about to make a lay-up. Wallace, furious at the breach, pushed Artest to the ground.

Artest then backed away and calmed himself down by lying on the table. Meanwhile Wallace, who seemed to be about to attack Artest, was restrained by his teammates. The referee quickly got between them and momentarily restored order.

Artest calmly rested even though several players continued to bicker. Wallace grabbed the team towel and threw it at Artest, who initially rose to fight but was held back by Indiana Pacers' Reggie Miller. When Artest returned to his previous resting position, a fan named John Green threw a glass of beer, right into Artest's face.

Artest immediately dashed into the crowd, jumped over a few empty seats and walked towards a spectator wearing a black shirt, who was raising his hands as if he was throwing something. To everyone's astonishment, Artest immediately dropped him to the floor.

The Palace of Auburn Hills (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Unknowingly, Artest attacked the wrong person. Artest attacks Mike Ryan, the audience he thinks is John Green, the one who actually threw the beer. The remaining 45.9 seconds of the match did not finish well.

"He was on top of me, hitting me," said Mike Ryan. "He asked me, 'Did you do it?' I said, 'No, man. No!'"

In an instant, several players followed Artest into the stands. Rasheed Wallace, Fred Jones, Reggie Miller and Pistons radio host Rick Mahorn try to separate the fans from Artest's rampage. Another Indiana Pacers player, Stephen Jackson, followed Artest into the crowd and landed a punch on the crowd who threw his drink at him. Indiana Pacers fans then went into battle with the players, who were unable to pull Artest back onto the court.

Punishment

As a result of the incident, Artest was suspended for the remainder of the 2004-2005 season and had to pay a fine of 50 million US dollars, as well as forfeit salaries and endorsements. Meanwhile Wallace, who started the fight, received a six-match suspension. Another player received a one-game suspension for leaving their bench.

Both the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons struggled after the brawl. The Indiana Pacers team was hampered because many of its athletes were injured and several members were suspended from the game. There is speculation that Stern will reduce Artest's suspension because he is allowed to train with the team.

The two teams played a few more times that year and each encounter had a different storyline. Ironically, the first post-fight encounter between the Pacers and the Pistons happened on Christmas Day, which also featured the long-awaited first meeting between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

The Pistons-Pacers showdown involving spectators and players became the worst event in NBA history. There have been several player-viewer incidents before. In 1995, Vernon Maxwell attacked a spectator who insulted his son. Maxwell also received a 10 game suspension. A few years later, Dennis Rodman kicked a cameraman and received an 11-game suspension.

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