November 19: On This Day in World History … briefly
Several NBA players and coaches said the brawl was the worst fight they had ever seen. Hockey player Chris Chelios, who attended the game with Kid Rock, described the fight as unbelievable. Pacers fans began to refer to the team as ‘The Thugs’.
2004: Malice at the Palace
The Pacers–Pistons brawl, colloquially known as the Malice at the Palace and the Basketbrawl, was an altercation that occurred in a National Basketball Association (NBA) game between the Indiana Pacers and the then-defending champion Detroit Pistons on November 19, 2004, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The Associated Press (AP) called it ‘the most infamous brawl in NBA history.’
With 45.9 seconds left in the game, Pistons centre Ben Wallace went up for a layup, but was fouled by Pacers small forward Ron Artest. Furious at being fouled when the game had already been decided, Wallace pushed Artest, and a fight broke out on the court between several players. After the fight was broken up, a fan threw a drink from the stands at Artest while he was lying on the scorer’s table. Artest immediately charged after the fan, but ended up attacking the wrong fan. This led to a massive brawl between players and spectators that stretched from the seats down to the court and lasted several minutes.
After the game, the NBA suspended nine players for a total of 146 games, leading to the players losing $11 million in salary. Five players were charged with assault, and eventually sentenced to a year of probation and community service. Five fans also faced criminal charges and were banned from attending Pistons home games for life. The fight also led the NBA to increase security between players and fans and limit the sale of alcohol in games.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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