Artest, Wallace link up 17 years after ‘Malice at the Palace’ brawl
Metta Sandiford-Artest and Ben Wallace. METTA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Former NBA stars Metta Sandiford-Artest and Ben Wallace seemed to have finally buried the hatchet, 17 years after being the principal characters in one of the ugliest brawls in sports dubbed “The Malice at the Palace.”
Artest, formerly known as Ron Artest and Metta World Peace, shared a photo of him and Wallace on his Instagram on Monday.
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The two linked up during the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Detroit Pistons in Hollywood.
“This duo would beat any duo. Ruled the 2000’s on defense. It’s not debatable,” Artest, the 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and two-time NBA champion, wrote.
Back in November 2004, the infamous melee took place with less than a minute left in the game between Indiana and host Detroit after Artest, who was with the Pacers then, was shoved by Wallace after the Pistons center took a hard foul.
But just when things were starting to cool down, it took a turn for the worse after a fan in the stands threw and hit Artest with a drink—triggering a fight involving players and fans.
A total of 10 players, six from Indiana, were suspended with Artest taking the biggest hit.
Artest was suspended for the remainder of the season for a total of 86 games including 13 in the playoffs. The former Laker also ended up losing $4,995,000 in salary due to the suspension.
Wallace, who won a championship with the Pistons in 2004, served a six-game suspension.
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