Remembering The Malice At The Palace Twenty Years Later

On Nov. 19, 2004, the most notorious brawl in NBA history unfolded at The Palace in Detroit. In the closing stages of the game between the Pistons and the Indiana Pacers, Detroit center Ben Wallace was fouled by Pacers forward Ron Artest. Wallace subsequently pushed Artest, leading to players on both teams going at it. Who could foresee what came next? As Artest was lying on the scorer's table, a cup thrown from the stands landed on his chest. He proceeded to charge into the stands to attack the fan. Soon players and fans were in the midst of a scuffle unseen in sports. The brawl became known as "The Malice in the Palace". Artest received a suspension for the remainder of the season plus any playoff games. In total, he missed 86 games, the longest on-court suspension in league history. His teammate Stephen Jackson was suspended for the 30 games without pay. Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal received a 15-game suspension. Ben Wallace received a six-game suspension. The incident led to increased protections for N