Photo Credit: ALLEN EINSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Fan Who Threw His Drink At Ron Artest During Malice At The Palace Explains Why He Did It

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.

One of the fans was Bryant Jackson, who was then dubbed the “Chair Throwing Fan”. Jackson was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to consult with an anger-management therapist 17 years ago today. 

Years later, in a documentary about the incident, another fan involved – the fan who threw his drink, and therefore being the initiator of the brawl, opened up about the infamous night, and revealed that Artest went after the wrong guy in the stands. The kid he body slammed had nothing to do with the situation.