Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) revealed on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast that he has become life-long friends with the fan who threw the cup that sparked the infamous Malice at the Palace incident in 2004. This revelation sheds new light on the aftermath of one of the most controversial moments in NBA history.
The Malice at the Palace occurred during a game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons on November 19, 2004. A fan threw a drink at Artest as he lay on the scorer’s table, leading to a brawl that involved players and spectators. Artest’s reaction to the fan’s actions resulted in a massive suspension and legal consequences for those involved.
During his appearance on the podcast, World Peace shared how he and the fan, John Green, eventually reconciled.
“We got a friendship… Me and John… his name is John Green, I reached out, because I was struggling mentally,” World Peace said. “I was like ‘I’m going to patch up things’. So I reached out to him, found out his number. His wife answers the phone… and she says ‘get the F out of here’… she didn’t believe me. So I said ‘let me tell you why I’m calling, m’am. I think if me and John came together, I think we can make a difference in the world.’ So she said ‘John, Ron’s on the phone.’ This dude answers the phone ‘HEY RON, WASSUP?!’ So that made me smile and know that this dude is crazy. Then I learend about his story.”
