Remembering The Malice At The Palace Twenty Years Later

Zachary Draves | Nov 19, 2024

April 6, 2004; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana's Ron Artest takes a break during game action. The Indianapolis Pacers hosted the New York Knicks Tuesday night April 6 2004 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis IN. The Pacers won the game 107-86. Mandatory Credit: Sam Riche-USA TODAY NETWORK / The Indy Star-USA TODAY NETWORK

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 NBA players. Among these protections included added security detail and at least three security guards stationed between players and fans.

It is also credited for the implementation of the NBA dress code in 2005. The league outlawed players wearing "hip hop clothing" when entering the arena after receiving backlash from media commentators over a perceived "thuggery" image.

Zachary Draves is a contributor to Back In the Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at zdraves1013@gmail.com and on Instagram @zdraves0633.

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