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15 Years Later – Reggie Miller Talks Malice At The Palace

Yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of Malice at the Palace.

Malice at the Palace was “the most infamous brawl in NBA history. With less than a minute left in the game, 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 Pacers player Ron Artest while he was lying on the scorer’s table. Artest then entered the crowd and sparked a massive brawl between players and fans that stretched onto the court.

After the game, the NBA suspended nine players for a total of 146 games, which led to $11 million in salary being lost by the players. Five players were also 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.

15 years later, Pacers legend Reggie Miller opened up about the infamous night on ‘The Dan Patrick Show’. Miller didn’t play in the actual game, but ended up being suspended for a game after he also entered the stands. Miller said he wasn’t concerned for the team’s safety then, but when the Pacers returned later in the season.

“When we played them again and had to come to the Palace, that’s when the issues of safety , because people were calling in bomb threats. There were supposed to be hitmen and assassins, it was, like, crazy. We had to stay on the bus – I’m not kidding you – two hours, we couldn’t even go into the Palace the next time we came to play the Pistons because there were so many bomb scares. The police presence was unbelievable.”