20 years later: A look back at the Malice at the Palace

(WXIN/WTTV) — It has now been 20 whole years since the most infamous night in Indiana Pacers franchise history: The Malice at the Palace.

One of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history, the incident occurred on Nov. 19, 2024, at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit during a matchup between the Pacers and Pistons.

What began as a disagreement between two conference rivals quickly spilled into the stands and devolved into violence. Here is what happened.

Setting the scene

The fight began with under a minute left in the game as the Pacers were handily beating the Pistons 97-82.

A physical altercation broke out between Pacers forward Ron Artest (now known as Metta Sandiford-Artest) and Pistons big man Ben Wallace after battling all night in the paint.

Head NBA referee Tim Donaghy stopped the game, and during the break Artest went over to the scorers’ table to lay down. Then, a Pistons fan later identified as John Green threw a plastic cup full of Diet Coke at Artest – striking him in the chest.

Artest reacted by jumping into the stands for retaliation and sparking what the Associated Press called “the most infamous brawl in NBA history.”

The brawl

Artest threw punches and fans threw more drinks in the stands, with Indiana’s Stephen Jackson soon joining the brawl to defend his teammate. Numerous Pistons and Pacers players followed into the stands to try and break up the fighting.

Fans began pouring onto the court in a state of adrenaline and confusion, with some spectators taunting Pacers players as they made their way to the floor. Several Pacers players began defending themselves from the fans, with Artest, Jackson and All-Star Jermaine O’Neal throwing punches.

Security personnel on scene got swept up in the commotion, unable to immediately end the brawl. Only three police officers were reportedly assigned to the arena.

In a 2021 documentary on the incident, Pacers legend Reggie Miller said that the cops on scene focused their response on Artest and the Indiana team rather than trying to stop fans from entering the court area.

Miller was injured and not playing in the game, causing him to try and stop the chaos on the sidelines while sporting a suit.

Aftermath

Once some semblance of order was finally established by security and referees called the game, Pacers and Pistons players were escorted to their locker rooms. Artest was seen running into the locker room with his jersey ripped down the middle.

Meanwhile, fans still in the stands continued to hurl food and drinks at Indiana’s roster while screaming insults. A steel folding chair thrown by a fan almost hit O’Neal in the head, archival video shows.

Pistons head coach Larry Brown then went to the arena’s PA system and began imploring the crowd to calm down, but his requests were ignored and he threw the microphone down in exasperation.

The Pistons PA announcer then explained over the loudspeaker that the game was over, but fans continued throwing items from the stands and fighting.

Eventually, after several 911 calls from spectators, local police officers swarmed the arena and threatened to handcuff and arrest anyone who wouldn’t leave. In total, nine spectators were injured and two were hospitalized. Several Pacers players and staff members were also injured.

Suspensions, criminal charges

No member of either team spoke with the media after the brawl. Auburn Hills police officers eventually stormed the Pacers’ locker room in an attempt to detain Artest, but the team reportedly rushed him onto Indiana’s bus and refused to take him off. Local police then decided to protect the Pacers as they left the arena parking lot and departed for Indianapolis.

As a result of the brawl, various Pacers and Pistons players were suspended by the NBA. Their punishments included:

• Ron Artest (IND):
  • Suspended the rest of the season and playoffs
  • Fined nearly $5 million
• Stephen Jackson (IND):
  • Suspended 30 games
  • Fined $1,750,000
• Jermaine O’Neal (IND):
  • Suspended 25 games (reduced to 15 on appeal)
  • Fined $4,115,000
• Ben Wallace (DET):
  • Suspended six games
  • Fined $400,000
• Anthony Johnson (IND):
  • Suspended five games
  • Fined $122,222
• Reggie Miller (IND):
  • Suspended one game
  • Fined $61,111
• Chauncey Billups (DET):
  • Suspended one game
  • Fined $60,611
• Derrick Coleman (DET):
  • Suspended one game
  • Fined $50,000
• Elden Campbell (DET):
  • Suspended one game
  • Fined $48,888

The brawl led to criminal charges for five Pacers players: Artest, O’Neal, Jackson, Johnson and David Harrison. O’Neal was charged with two counts of assault and battery while the other players faced one charge each.

All five players pleaded no contest to the charges and were given small fines, 60 hours of community service and court-ordered anger management classes.

Additionally, five Pistons fans were criminally charged: John Ackerman; John Green; Bryant Jackson; William Paulson; and David Wallace, Ben Wallace’s brother.

It was determined by Auburn Hills police that Green was the one who threw the beverage that started the brawl.

Green had an extensive criminal history prior to the incident, including convictions for felony assault and counterfeiting as well as three drunk driving convictions.

At the time of the brawl, Green was on court-order probation from a previous DUI conviction.

Green was later found guilty on one account of assault for punching Artest in the stands and was acquitted on one charge for throwing the cup.

He was subsequently banned from all Pistons facilities and sentenced to 30 days in jail with two years of probation upon release.

Lasting legacy

Later dubbed “The Malice at the Palace” or the “Pacers–Pistons brawl,” the incident caused the NBA and the Pacers’ organization to take a huge hit in both the national media and their public personas.

The NBA was immediately branded as being “out of control” and “chaotic” while the Pacers players involved were proclaimed as “thugs.” The NBA itself took quick action to increase in-arena security and promptly changed the players’ dress code to ban baggy shorts, durags and hip-hop gear.

However, other national outlets such as ESPN placed the blame on Pistons fans with analyst Stephen A. Smith saying the fans “should be ashamed of themselves” and “arrested.” ESPN Vice President Mark Shapiro later walked back some of these sentiments, stating that their coverage was biased against the fans and not measured.

Many Pacers fans had unwavering support for the team despite the unfavorable press coverage, as evidenced in the photos below:

However, the Pacers themselves saw drastic changes following the brawl.

Artest’s season-long suspension dashed any hopes that Indiana to finally bring legend Reggie Miller an NBA Championship ring. The Pacers eventually faced the Pistons in the second round of that year’s NBA Playoffs, but lost after going up two games to one. The Pistons then went on to play in the NBA Finals, losing to the San Antonio Spurs.

After serving his suspension, Artest returned the next season to the Pacers and played 16 games before demanding a trade. Many of the players who defended Artest during and after the brawl felt betrayed and Pacers president Donnie Walsh called his request “the last straw.”

Artest was then placed on the Pacers’ injured list and was later traded to the Sacramento Kings for Peja Stojaković. He later went on to win an NBA Championship with the Lakers in 2010.

After winning a ring in 2010, Artest spoke publicly and apologized to his former teammates and Pacers fans.

“I was so young and egotistical”, he said. “Sometimes I feel like a coward when I see those guys. I’m on the Lakers, but I had a chance to win with you guys. I feel almost like a coward.” 

In 2011, Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace. His name was again changed in 2014 – to The Panda’s Friend – after signing to play basketball in China. He now uses the name Metta Sandiford-Artest.

After three seasons in Indiana, Stephen Jackson was traded to the Pistons during the 2006-07 season. Jackson was facing legal trouble at the time of the trade after being involved in a physical altercation involving guns at Club Rio – an Indianapolis strip club.

O’Neal stayed in Indiana and continued to chase a championship for the next three seasons. After battling various injuries and missing the playoffs in 2007, O’Neal was traded to the Toronto Raptors in a deal for T.J. Ford and the draft pick that would eventually become Roy Hibbert.

As for Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, he played out the rest of the season in Indiana despite the brawl ruining his championship aspirations. Miller retired from the NBA after the end of the 2004-05 season, playing his whole career in Indiana and never winning an NBA Finals.