On Friday, November 19, 2004 the Indiana Pacers faced off against the Detroit Pistons at the Detroit Pistons stadium at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Going into this game nobody could have predicted the disaster that was about to occur. This single night event has put one of the darkest spots on the history of the NBA, and ended with nine players being suspended for a total of 146 games. After this game the Indianapolis Pacers went from a finals contender to a team that would struggle for close to a decade.

Throughout the game, there were foreshadowing events. With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter Rip Hamilton elbowed Pacers player Jamal Tinsley in the back. Another event was when Ron Artest was pushed in the back by Ben Wallace causing Artest to fall down and stay there for multiple seconds. But both of these events are completely miniscule in comparison to what happened next. With less than a minute left in the game Ben Wallace was fouled hard on a layup by Ron Artest, this resulted in Wallace shoving Artest hard. Both benches emptied and tried to separate the players. After they were separated Artest laid on the scores table while Pistons fans booed him from around the arena. But what started one of the worst moments in NBA history was when a fan threw a cup of beer at Artest.

This resulted in Ron Artest charging into the stands, followed by his teammate Stephen Jackson ready to attack anyone in their path. While Artest attacked a man another cup of beer was thrown at Stephen Jackson resulting in him throwing a haymaker at the fan. Security tried to diffuse this disaster, and eventually got Artest and Jackson back onto the court. This is where Jermaine O’neal, Pacers center, threw a running punch at a fan on the court that could have done irreparable damage if it had landed right. After this the Pacers were rushed into the locker room while beer and other drinks were thrown at them. The events on that night were horrifying and caused a large blemish on the NBA’s reputation. Commissioner David Stern released a statement saying, “the events last night were shocking, repulsive, and inexcusable.” These words sum up that night in Detroit, and possibly the worst thing that has happened in the modern era of the NBA.