One of the ugliest and most surreal brawls in sports history—players vs. fans inside “The Palace” at Auburn Hills.
Trailer for “Untold: Malice at the Palace”
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- The man who threw the drink—a fan named John Green—admits on camera that he felt no remorse, even though a bystander (an innocent fan) was pummeled instead of him.
- Jermaine O’Neal’s sliding haymaker leveled a fan, but a judge ruled it pure self-defense, forcing the NBA to cut his suspension.
- Ron Artest asked his teammates in the locker room if they thought he’d be suspended—minutes after sparking one of the worst nights in NBA history.
Watch “Untold: Malice at the Palace”
You can watch “Untold: Malice at the Palace” on Netflix here.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 96/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: N/A
Director’s Note: Floyd Russ directed this 69-minute Netflix doc. He also made “Zion” (about one-legged wrestler Zion Clark), American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing (which I ranked 96/100), and co-directed “Untold: Deal with the Devil.”
Release Date: August 10, 2021 (Netflix)
My Review of “Untold: Malice at the Palace”
The Setup
On November 19, 2004, with just 45.9 seconds left in a regular-season NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, chaos erupted. Pacers forward Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace) was lying on the scorer’s table when a Pistons fan hurled a drink at him.
Artest charged into the stands, triggering one of the ugliest and most surreal brawls in sports history—players vs. fans inside “The Palace” at Auburn Hills.
Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Jermaine O’Neal were suspended, fines piled up, and Reggie Miller’s final chance at a championship slipped away.
The film uses surveillance angles never aired on ESPN and lets the players finally explain what was going through their minds as fans poured onto the floor and chaos spread everywhere.
More Highlights from the Doc
- Reggie Miller, in his last season, stood on the sidelines with a broken hand and could only watch as his teammates’ futures unraveled.
- Stephen Jackson says he had no regrets about charging into the stands—because in his words, “I ride with my brothers.”
- The media narrative painted the Pacers as “thugs,” but the footage shows fans rushing the court, throwing chairs, and even squaring up to fight professional athletes.
- Artest later demanded a trade from Indiana, which Jermaine O’Neal calls “the most cowardly thing” he’s ever seen.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Police presence was almost nonexistent—the few officers on duty didn’t intervene until players had already fought fans for minutes.
- The NBA’s PR machine worked fast: commissioner David Stern handed down some of the harshest suspensions in league history within days, setting a precedent for how the league handled image crises.
- Jermaine O’Neal went from MVP candidate to scapegoat overnight; his reputation never fully recovered despite his legal vindication in court.
Wrap Up
“Untold: Malice at the Palace” is about how one night redefined careers, ruined reputations, and shifted the NBA’s balance of power. The footage is shocking, but the fallout is even harder to believe.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc