Stephen A. Smith was in studio. Jermaine O'Neal got 30 games and Stephen Jackson got 15.
Fans booed the players as they were escorted off the court by police, being pelted by beverages and even a folding chair.The entire episode lasted less than 10 minutes, but it felt like the brawl filled the entire evening.
The foul didn't seem that hard, but Wallace, clearly frustrated with the entire game, shoved Artest across the court. Wallace was probably frustrated by the score and the Pistons' 4-4 start. The ordeal felt like a dream. He listed the players who would be getting suspensions, but questioned whether they deserved them. Eventually everyone was escorted back to the locker room through beer showers. All rights reserved.
The Associated Press called it "the most infamous brawl in NBA history." Security. * indicates players who faced legal consequences; they all received similar sentences: So many things had to go wrong for this to happen. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana. It decimated their roster, and killed their playoff chances.Media coverage over the next couple of weeks asked the obvious question: Who was to blame?ESPN's John Saunders infamously declared Pistons fans to be "a bunch of punks." Jackson responded, "We'll be lucky if we have a freaking job," leading Jackson to conclude Artest "wasn't in his right mind to ask that question. He shoved Artest and it was off, but it came so close to stopping multiple times. Watching the video at full speed, it doesn't even look like that bad a foul by Artest. Artest went into the stands. Coaches and players were trying to hold him back, but couldn't.
The game was broadcast live on national television so ESPN had boots on the ground and a studio show waiting to break down what happened before anything even happened. It is a fascinating look back at one of the most infamous sports moments ever.
Jim Gray, speaking from the floor of the empty Palace, sounded emotional. Coaches. After Wallace shoved Artest, both team benches emptied to …
Nine players ended up getting various suspensions because of the incident. World Peace requested a trade from the Pacers early in the 2005-06 season and was dealt to Sacramento for Peja Stojakovic on Jan. 26.
The only videos I saw of this were way worse quality than this .avi that has been moving from hard drive to hard drive for the past 13 years. Did you run for cover? Artest was suspended for 86 games without pay, Jackson for 30 games, and O'Neal for 15 games. Nah, but I was actually there for Malice at the Palace.
I remember a police officer threatening to pepper spray Artest, but was talked out of it.The brawl did not end in the stands, as players and fans continued the brawl on the court.Artest returned to the court and was confronted by two fans.