One of the worst altercations in the NBA's history occurred on November 19th, 2004, and the event still stings over a decade later.
A fight broke out with less than a minute left in a rivalry game between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers.
Ron Artest, now known as Metta World Peace, laid on the scorers table to cool down until a fan tossed a cup of beer on him. He snapped, and immediately ran into the audience to fight the beer thrower. A massive brawl ensued between players and fans in a totally chaotic moment.
Nine players were suspended for a total of 146 games, fans were banned from the arena and players charged with assault. The biggest loss was the Pacers' chance at an NBA championship, which they have never been able to build up to since.
In an ESPN story by Baxter Homes, World Peace says he feels bad about being in the center of the entire situation up to this day as he sat at lunch with Pacers media relations director David Benner.
“I feel awful about it. That’s what I feel most bad about to this day. That’s something that I can never, ever forgive myself for. I don’t regret it, but I definitely can’t forgive myself for that.”
The significance of his statement is that he wasn't always remorseful about the situation, but credits former NBA Coach Rick Adelman for teaching him how to realize life wasn't just about himself.
“Rick, that really changed my life. That’s when my turning point was.”
“I was there, but I had no control. It was like now I realized, ‘Oh, wow, what a f—ing d—head.”
World Peace realized he was unstable during that time, and went through many therapy sessions with a psychologist the team hired.
The team continued to decline after the brawl, and fell out of contention for a championship before Reggie Miller retired and his era ended. Many in the Pacers organization are still accepting of World Peace, but the burden of the entire situation still weighs on him.
“Honestly, for me, when the Pacers win a championship, I’ll feel a little bit better. That will make me feel a little bit better.”
You can revisit the brawl below.
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